Does presidential candidate have to prove citizenship?

Answer 1

If you mean presidents in general, there's no easy answer. Each nation state sets its own rules. Almost universally though the answer will be yes. If you mean the President of the United States of America, then Article 2 of their constitution includes the condition that a presidential candidate must be a "natural born citizen" which means that they must have been born in the United States of America (thus entitling them to citizenship). Each candidate will need to satisfy their own party that they are a fit person to run for president (as, if for no other reason, if they fail on such an obvious point the embarrassment caused would be extremely damaging to them and their political party).

Answer 2

Arizona is the first to pass proof of citizenship requirement for the 2012 election.

September 3, 2010

PHOENIX, Arizona - Lawmakers in the Arizona House who say they have doubts whether President Barack Obama was born in the United States have passed a bill that would require the president to show his birth certificate to get on the state's 2012 ballot.

The House passed the measure earlier in the month on a 31-29 vote, ignoring protests from opponents who said it's casting Arizona in an ugly light and could give the elected secretary of state broad powers to kick a presidential candidate off the ballot.

Arizona's measure would require U.S. presidential candidates to submit documents to the secretary of state proving they meet the constitutional requirements to be president. The secretary of state could then decide to keep a candidate off the Arizona ballot if he or she had reasonable cause to believe the candidate was ineligible.

Texas filed a bill that would require any candidate for president or vice president of the United States to show his or her birth certificate to the Texas secretary of state, another indication of just how ambitious the conservative agenda for next year's session of the Texas Legislature is expected to be.

"This bill is necessary because we have a president whom the American people don't know whether he was born in Kenya or some other place," Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, said in reference to President Barack Obama and of House Bill 295. "If you are running for president or vice president, you've got to show here in Texas that you were born in the United States and the birth certificate is your proof."

"If the federal government is not going to vet these people, like they vetted John McCain, we'll do it in our state," he said. He noted the Senate's investigation into McCain because of the Republican senator's birth in Panama to military parents.

Answer 3

Technically, yes. IT is a requirement that in order for one to run for the presidency, they be born in the United States.