What do U.S. governors do?
On Election Day last week, most of the nation’s attention was naturally on the presidential race between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, along with other national institutions like the Senate and the House of Representatives — rightly so, as these positions influence the direction of the entire country for years to come.
However, there were also important statewide elections across the country. Perhaps the most important of these were gubernatorial elections in these eleven states:
- Delaware
- Indiana
- Missouri
- Montana
- New Hampshire
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Utah
- Vermont
- Washington
- West Virginia
The role of a governor has been highlighted in recent months, as different states have reacted differently to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York, for example, earned positive national attention by broadcasting daily press conferences detailing his state’s response to the disease. By contrast, Governor Kristi Noem of South Dakota was criticized by health experts for allowing numerous so-called “superspreader events” in her state to go ahead.
The powers and duties of governors vary from state to state, but here is a broad outline of their role:
Act as chief executive of a state: In some ways, governors can be understood as mini-presidents for their states. Their powers over state officials and departments mirror the power the president has over the federal government.
Command the state’s National Guard: While the president is commander-in-chief of the United States’ military forces, each state has its own National Guard, commanded by the governor. Unlike the U.S. military (which generally avoids using force within the borders of the U.S.), National Guard forces are often called in by governors to help with a variety of tasks from disaster response to law enforcement.
Give annual “State of the State” addresses: Every year in Washington D.C., the president gives a “State of the Union” address to both houses of Congress. Similarly, governors give annual addresses to both branches of their state legislatures, detailing their government’s achievements and their goals for the upcoming year.
Sign bills into law: When state legislatures vote to approve bills, these are passed to the governor’s office to be signed into law. A bill will not become law if the governor refuses to sign it — unless two thirds of a state legislature votes to overrule his or her decision. Again, this mirrors the president’s role in Washington D.C.
Appoint important state-level positions: Governors have the power to appoint some of the heads of government departments in their states (although many such roles are elected positions).
Powers to pardon and commute criminal sentences: Sentences for certain criminal convictions can be pardoned or commuted by governors. Many governors use this power to signal their policy priorities (for example, by pardoning nonviolent drug offenders), but some use it to help their political allies.
(Contributed by Ruairi Vaughan, Multimedia Content Creator at VotingSmarter)
