The Constitution does not provide an oath of office for members of Congress, but specifies only that they "shall be bound by Oath of Affirmation to support this constitution." The oath of office that one-third of the Senate recites every two years is a product of the 1860s, drafted by Civil War-era members intent on ensnaring traitors. The oath-taking, however, dates back to the First Congress in 1789. The first oath served the Senate for nearly three-quarters of a century. The current oath, in use since 1884, is a milder version of the oath adopted in 1862. Show WATCH: Governors of Md., Va. and Del. to appear together in Salisbury Delmarva's governors will speak at Salisbury University in February for a question-and-answer event that organizers aiming to promote bipartisanship. Virginia is the only state where a governor cannot serve two consecutive terms. But if voters think their governor is doing a good job, why shouldn’t he or she be re-elected? Democrats, who have won the past two gubernatorial elections, generally support allowing governors to succeed themselves. Republicans generally oppose it. Political experts say Virginia’s one-term policy for governors is rooted in history. Delegate Dawn Adams, D-Richmond, called the policy, which is enshrined in the Virginia Constitution, a “detriment to the commonwealth.” She is sponsoring House Joint Resolution 608, which would let governors elected after 2021 serve two terms in a row. “Now is the time we should look to pass a constitutional amendment for consecutive but limited governor terms,” she said. Last week, the Senate defeated an identical amendment, Senate Joint Resolution 250, on an 18-22 vote. Fifteen Democrats and three Republicans voted for the measure, and 18 Republicans and four Democrats voted against it. Adams’ resolution is scheduled for a vote Monday by a subcommittee of the House Privileges and Elections Committee. The panel also plans to consider HJ 627, an identical proposal by Delegate Mark Levine, D-Arlington. Similar resolutions have been introduced since 2013 in the General Assembly but have never made it out of committee — which is why supporters were happy that SJ 250 even made it to the Senate floor. They say limiting the governor to one term doesn’t make sense given that Virginia operates on a two-year state budget. Senate Majority Leader Thomas Norment, a Republican from James City County, voted against the amendment. In urging his colleagues to do the same, he mentioned two past governors — Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Jim Gilmore — whom he wouldn’t have wanted in office for more than four years. Support local journalism: 6 benefits of a Delmarva Now digital subscription “I would very succinctly and ecumenically say two words: Gilmore and McAuliffe,” Norment said, drawing laughter from some fellow legislators. Norment said the term restriction balances the governor’s executive power to amend and veto bills, appoint officials and order a special legislative session. Supporters of amending the constitution compare term limits on the governor to a business that gets a new boss every four years. “What real challenge can any company overcome when its leader is but a blip on the trajectory of an employee’s career?” Adams asked. Under Virginia’s biennial budget system, each new governor begins under the predecessor’s budget. The governor must wait until the second legislative session before proposing a budget that covers the second and third years in office. In the fourth year, the governor submits a plan for another two-year budget that a successor might or might not endorse but has little power to change. Adams said the lack of continuity in leadership has led to “inefficiency, waste, duplication of services, low morale and low productivity.” Opponents of changing the constitution note that while governors cannot seek re-election, they can still serve nonconsecutive terms. However, only one governor has done that since the Civil War. Mills Godwin Jr. was elected as a Democrat in 1965 and again as a Republican in 1973. Virginia’s prohibition on governors serving consecutive terms has survived more than 160 years. Virginians did not directly elect their governor until 1851, according to the Encyclopedia of Virginia. Before that, the state constitution held the General Assembly responsible for choosing a governor. More: Virginia redistricting amendment heads to Senate floor More: Accomack has questions about proposed coastal barrier map changes Virginia’s anxiety over a powerful executive branch has roots in the American Revolution. The first Constitution of Virginia was enacted in conjunction with the Declaration of Independence. After declaring war on one king, Virginia was not eager to create another in the form of a powerful governor. Matt Pinsker, a professor of constitutional law at Virginia Commonwealth University, said it all comes down to “tradition.” He said that although Virginia’s current system is “a unique anomaly among the states,” he believes it provides a well-functioning government. Pinsker said that even if the amendment passes, it would likely make little difference in the day-to-day operations of Virginia government or the policies being pushed by the governor’s office. That is because Virginia’s governors have typically used the position as a stepping stone for higher office, Pinsker said. Both of Virginia’s U.S. senators — Mark Warner and Tim Kaine — first served as governors. “Our historical ties do have an impact,” said Robyn Diehl McDougle, director of the Center for Public Policy at VCU’s Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs. McDougle said the General Assembly is reluctant to give up power to the executive branch, especially when partisan politics come into play. “If I’m in the party opposite of who’s in the Governor’s Mansion, I’m less likely to vote for the possibility of their re-election,” she said. Republicans control both the House and Senate, and Gov. Ralph Northam is a Democrat. Of the dozen legislators sponsoring HJ 608 and HJ 672, just one is a Republican: Delegate Mark L. Cole of Fredericksburg. That could spell trouble for those measures to make it out of committee. “I’m not saying it’s impossible,” McDougle said, “but I am saying it is an uphill battle.” Two-Term Governor
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The Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia is an elected constitutional officer, the head of the executive branch and the highest state office in Virginia. The Governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality. Although there is no life-term term limit, the governor cannot serve consecutive terms.[1]
Virginia has a divided government where neither party holds a trifecta. The Republican Party controls the office of governor and the lower chamber of the state legislature, while the Democratic Party controls the upper chamber of the state legislature. Virginia has a Republican triplex. The Republican Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general. See also: Virginia State Legislature, Virginia House of Delegates, Virginia State SenateCurrent officeholderThe 74th and current governor is Glenn Youngkin, a Republican elected in 2021. AuthorityThe state Constitution addresses the office of the governor in Article V, the Executive. Under Article V, Section I:
QualificationsA candidate for the office of governor of Virginia must be:
VacanciesSee also: How gubernatorial vacancies are filled
While death and resignation are straightforward, what about disqualification? One option outlined in Section 16 states:
If that were to happen, the governor could still offer a "written declaration that no inability exists" and resume the position unless the Attorney General, the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Delegates, or a majority of the total membership of the General Assembly, reply with their own written declaration, reaffirming their beliefs that the governor is unable to discharge the duties of the office. That then sends the issue to the General Assembly to decide. Also worth noting is that Virginia has a unique process for removing elected officials from office that is akin to a recall, but gives jurisdiction to a circuit court, which would hold a trial. Created in 1975 and modified in 1989, 1993, 2002, and 2011, § 24.2-233 of the Virginia code states:[3]
The petition would require signatures of registered voters equal to ten percent of the total number of votes cast in the last election for the office. The terms of which an official can be removed include neglect of duty, misuse of office, or incompetence in the performance of duties when that neglect of duty, misuse of office, or incompetence in the performance of duties has a material adverse effect upon the conduct of the office, or upon conviction of a drug-related misdemeanor or a misdemeanor involving a "hate crime."[3][4] At any time, a sitting Governor may transmit a written statement to both the President Pro Tem of the Senate and the Speaker of the House that she is temporarily unable to serve, at which time the Lieutenant Governor becomes Acting Governor. The Governor resumes her duties by making a second written declaration to the same two officers. If, at the time a vacancy occurs, an emergency prevents the Assembly from convening, the preordained line of succession behind the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor is as follows:
Such an individual serves as Acting Governor until the General Assembly is able to convene. The General Assembly also has the discretion to pass a law that waives the eligibility requirements to serve as Governor or Acting Governor. Such a law may only apply in an "emergency or enemy attack upon the soil of Virginia" and only when the Governor or the duly appointed officer has proclaimed an emergency. ElectionsVirginia state government organizational chart Virginia belongs to the handful of states that hold off-year elections, that is, elections in off-numbered years that are neither presidential nor midterm years. In Virginia's case, elections are held in the year after a presidential and before a midterm; thus, 2021, 2025, 2029, and 2033 are all gubernatorial election years. Legally, the inauguration is always held on the Saturday after the second Wednesday in January after an election.[5] In the event of a tie between two candidates or a contested election, a joint session of the legislature shall cast ballots. Term limitsSee also: States with gubernatorial term limitsVirginia governors are not allowed to succeed themselves in office, however, they have no restrictions on the number of times they may hold the position. This was once a common provision among America's gubernatorial offices, but Virginia is now the only state that continues to apply it. Virginia Constitution, Article V, Section 1
Partisan compositionThe chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of Virginia from 1992 to 2013. Full history
DutiesThe governor is responsible for ensuring that the laws of the state are faithfully executed and is responsible for the safety of the state, serving as commander-in-chief of the Virginia Militia. The governor must convene the legislature when two-thirds of each house calls for a special session (§ 5). Other duties and privileges of the office include:
DivisionsNote: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for information that describes the divisions (if any exist) of a state executive office. That information for the Governor of Virginia has not yet been added. After extensive research we were unable to identify any relevant information on state official websites. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us. State budgetRole in state budgetSee also: Virginia state budget and financesThe state operates on a biennial budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:[9]
The legislature is not required to pass, and the governor is not required to sign, a balanced budget. However, the governor is required to make sure actual expenditures do not exceed revenues by the end of the appropriation period.[9] Governor's office budgetThe budget for the Governor's Office in Fiscal Year 2022 was $3,575,758.[10] CompensationSee also: Comparison of gubernatorial salaries and Compensation of state executive officersThe governor is entitled to receive a fixed annual salary in accordance with Title 2, Chapter 2 of the Virginia Code (§ 2.2-201).[11] The amount is set by law, pursuant to Article V, Section 4 of the Virginia Constitution:
2021In 2021, the governor received a salary of $175,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[12] 2020In 2020, the governor received a salary of $175,000 according to the Council of State Governments.[13] 2019In 2019, the governor received a salary of $175,000 according to the Council of State Governments.[14] 2018In 2018, the governor received a salary of $175,000 according to the Council of State Governments.[15] 2017In 2017, the governor received a salary of $175,000 according to the Council of State Governments.[16] 2016In 2016, the governor received a salary of $175,000 according to the Council of State Governments.[17] 2015In 2015, the governor received a salary of $175,000, according to the Council of State Governments. [18] 2014In 2014, the governor received a salary of $175,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[19] 2013In 2013, the governor's salary was $175,000.[20] 2010In 2010, the governor was paid $166,000 a year, the 5th highest gubernatorial salary in America. Historical officeholdersThere have been 74 governors of Virginia since 1776. (Acting governors are listed below but not counted). Of the 74 officeholders, 38 were Democrats, 13 were Democratic-Republicans, eight had no party, eight were Republicans, two were Conservative, two were Federalists, two were Whigs, and one was a Readjuster.[21]
HistoryPartisan balance 1992-2013Partisan breakdown of the Virginia governorship from 1992-2013 From 1992-2013, in Virginia there were Democratic governors in office for 10 years while there were Republican governors in office for 12 years, including the last four. Virginia was under Republican trifectas for the last two years of the study period. Across the country, there were 493 years of Democratic governors (44.82%) and 586 years of Republican governors (53.27%) from 1992 to 2013. Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states had divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied. The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of Virginia, the Virginia State Senate and the Virginia House of Delegates from 1992 to 2013. SQLI and partisanshipThe chart below depicts the partisanship of the Virginia state government and the state's SQLI ranking for the years studied. For the SQLI, the states were ranked from 1-50, with 1 being the best and 50 the worst. During the course of the study, Virginia experienced both Democratic and Republican trifectas as well as divided governments. For over half the years of the study, Virginia was ranked in the top-10. This occurred during a Democratic trifecta, Republican trifectas and divided government. Both its highest ranking, finishing 1st in 2006, and its lowest ranking, finishing 26th in 1997, occurred during divided governments.
Chart displaying the partisanship of the Virginia government from 1992-2013 and the State Quality of Life Index (SQLI). Contact informationOffice of the Governor Patrick Henry Building, 3rd Floor 1111 East Broad Street Richmond, Virginia 23219 Phone:804-786-2211 Fax:804-371-6351 This section links to a Google news search for the term Virginia + Governor See alsoExternal links
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