Governor of Minnesota

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Minnesota

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The Governor of the State of Minnesota is an elected Constitutional officer, the head of the Executive branch, and the highest state office in Minnesota. The Governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and has no term limit.

Current officer

The 40th and current governor is Mark Dayton, a member of the Democratic Farm Labor Party, elected in 2010.

Authority

The state Constitution addresses the office of the governor in Article V, the Executive Department.

Under Article V, Section I:

The executive department consists of a governor...

Qualifications

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2012 • 2011 • 2010
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The term of office of the governor of Minnesota is four years. Candidates must:

  • be at least 25 years old
  • be a U.S. citizen
  • have been a Minnesota resident for one year before the election

Elections

Minnesota elects governors in the midterm elections, that is, even years that are not Presidential election years. For Minnesota, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018 are all gubernatorial election years. Legally, the gubernatorial inauguration is always set for the first Monday in the January following an election. Thus, January 3, 2011 and January 5, 2015 are inaugural days.

Term limits

A 1958 amendment to the Minnesota Constitution created four-year terms for governors, where previously they served two-year terms. There are no term limits. The governor has a cabinet consisting of leaders from various state departments. The governor appoints these department heads, who are usually called commissioners.

Vacancies

See also: How gubernatorial vacancies are filled

Details of vacancy appointments are addressed under Article V, Section 5.

At any time that the governor is unable to discharge the office, the Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota succeeds to the office. In the event of a vacancy in the lieutenant governorship, the least elected presiding officer of the Senate, which is to say, the Senate President Pro Tem shall succeed to that office.

Duties

Minnesota

The Constitutionally prescribed duties and powers of the governor are quite lean compared to some other states. Minnesota's governor is the commander-in-chief of the state's militia and naval forces and is charged with upholding and seeing to the faithful execution of all laws.

Along with the Attorney General of Minnesota and the Chief Justice of Minnesota Supreme Court, the governor sits on the Board of Pardons. However, the power of pardon does not extend to cases of impeachment. (§ 7)

Other duties and privileges of the office include:

  • Requesting written opinions from any executive officer on any matter relating to that officer's duties
  • Making appointments, with the advice and consent of the Senate, when the offices of the Secretary of State, Attorney General, Auditor, and other state and district offices not otherwise provided for by law become vacant
  • Appointing Commissioners
  • Appointing notaries public

Compensation

See also: Comparison of gubernatorial salaries

Article V, Section 4 of the Minnesota Constitution addresses compensation:

...The duties and salaries of the executive officers shall be prescribed by law.

As of 2010, the Governor of Minnesota is paid $120,303 a year, the 29th highest gubernatorial salary in America.

Contact information

Office of the Governor
130 State Capitol
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155
Phone:651-296-3391
Toll Free:800-657-3717
Fax:651-296-2089
E-mail:mark.dayton@state.mn.us

See also

External links

References

Portions of this article were adapted from Wikipedia.

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