Section 1 fixes the start date of the President and Vice President as January 20 after their election.
Section 2 fixes the start date of the House of Representatives and Senate as January 3 at noon, after their election.
Section 3 clarifies that if the president-elect dies before taking office, the vice president-elect will take his place. If the vice president-elect cannot take office, Congress will appoint a president-elect or may determine the means of choosing one.
Section 4 If the president-elect and the vice president-elect die before taking office, the House of Representatives may choose the president. The Senate will choose the Vice-President.
Transcript from National Archives (archives.gov).
AMENDMENT XX
Passed by Congress March 2, 1932. Ratified January 23, 1933.
Note: Article I, section 4, of the Constitution was modified by section 2 of this amendment. In addition, a portion of the 12th amendment was superseded by section 3.
Section 1.
“The terms of the President and the Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin.”
Section 2.
“The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3d day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.”
Section 3.
“If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President elect shall have died, the Vice President elect shall become President. If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified; and the Congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President elect shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a President or Vice President shall have qualified.”
Section 4.
“The Congress may by law provide for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the House of Representatives may choose a President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them, and for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the Senate may choose a Vice President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them.”
Section 5.
“Sections 1 and 2 shall take effect on the 15th day of October following the ratification of this article.”
Section 6.
“This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission.”
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