Treasurer elections, 2016

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Nine states held elections for treasurer on November 8, 2016.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • Although Republicans hold a plurality of treasurer seats across the country, Democrats held six of the eight seats up for election in 2016.
  • A majority of the treasurer seats in the 2016 elections were open. Only three incumbents ran for another term.
  • Duane Davidson (R) and Michael Waite (R) were the only two candidates in the Washington treasurer election, meaning that Republicans won control of the office for the first time in 60 years.

    • Click on a state flag to jump to election details:

    Partisan analysis

    The partisan breakdown of treasurers strengthened Republican control during the 2014 and 2015 elections. Republicans held and retained control over a majority of the treasurer seats up for election and picked up more seats from Democrats than they had lost. Of the nine seats up for election in 2016, six were held by Democrats, two were held by Republicans, and one (Pennsylvania) was held by an independent interim treasurer who replaced a Democratic incumbent who resigned in 2015. Although Democrats held fewer treasurer seats across the country overall, they had many more up for election in 2016 than Republicans do. This created a partisan risk in that a disproportionate number of seats held by Democrats were being challenged compared to the actual partisan balance. Democrats therefore entered the November 2016 elections in a position of greater relative risk than Republicans.

    Influence of voter turnout

    Treasurer elections across the country coincided with what was a highly competitive presidential election, which drives up voter turnout down the ballot.[1] This increased turnout during presidential election years can significantly affect the partisan balance of state governments. In particular, offices elected during mid-presidential term elections disadvantage the party of the current president, a trend that has remained relatively constant since the Civil War. Presidential election years see aggregate gains for the party of the winning presidential candidate.[2][1]

    Twenty-five states held treasurer elections in 2014, equal to 69 percent of the 36 states in which it is an elected position. That same year, voter turnout was the lowest recorded since 1942.[3] Indeed, voter turnout has dropped during mid-presidential term elections since the 1840s.[2] This means a large majority of publicly elected treasurers are elected during these midterm cycles that see significantly lower turnout.

    2016 election

    Nine states held treasurer elections in 2016. Browse candidates, key deadlines, and results by state:

    Missouri

    North Carolina

    North Dakota

    Oregon

    Pennsylvania

    Utah

    Vermont

    Washington

    West Virginia

    About the office

    In the United States, the treasurer of a state is the official charged with overseeing revenue and finances and generally acting as the state's chief banker. Every state in the United States has a treasurer, though some have a different official title for the office. In New York and Texas there is no treasurer—instead, those duties are performed by the controller.

    Most states elect the treasurer; of those states, it is common for treasurer to be a constitutional executive office. Some states, however, treat the position as a member of the governor's cabinet, thus making the position a gubernatorial appointment.

    As opposed to treasurers in the corporate world, state treasurers are often elected partisan offices who administer various programs and have control over financial decisions without being involved in the highly detailed day-to-day bookkeeping and accounting.

    In some states, the treasurer may share financial duties with a comptroller, a chief financial officer or an auditor. Areas that often fall under a treasurer's job description include:

    • Debt management and debt policy
    • Disaster preparation
    • Pension fund administration
    • Oversight to prevent fraud with public money
    • Payroll matters for public employees
    • Investing public funds and managing portfolios

    Elected vs. appointed

    Treasurers are elected in 36 states. Others are appointed by the governor or elected by the state legislature.

    While some states authorize the governor to appoint an individual to the office of treasurer, 36 others have opted to have public voters select these officeholders. These states include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

    The state of Tennessee is the sole state that calls for a legislatively elected treasurer.

    Quick facts about treasurers
    • In 36 states, the position is elected.
    • In the remaining 12 states the position is appointed.
    • Tennessee is the sole state that calls for a legislatively elected treasurer.

    Past elections

    2015

    See also: State executive official elections, 2015

    Three states were holding elections for treasurer in 2015: Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi.


    Recent news

    The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'state treasurer election' OR 'treasurer election' 2016. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

    Treasurer elections, 2016 - Google News

    See also

    Treasurer State Executive Elections News and Analysis
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    External links

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Campbell, J. E. (1987) "The revised theory of surge and decline." American Journal of Political Science, 965-979.
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Pew Research Center, “Voter turnout always drops off for midterm elections, but why?” July 24, 2014
    3. ↑ TIME, "Voter Turnout in Midterm Elections Hits 72-Year Low," November 10, 2014
    4. ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "November 8, 2016, General Election Abstract of Votes," accessed May 25, 2017
    5. ↑ ‘’Pennsylvania Department of State,’’ “Election Information,” accessed February 17, 2016
    6. ↑ post-gazette.com, "Albert Baker Knoll, son of former Lt. Gov. running for state treasurer," January 14, 2016
    7. ↑ Utah Political Hub, "Merrill Cook running for Utah State Treasurer," November 6, 2015
    8. ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "Frequently Asked Questions on Voting by Mail," accessed August 2, 2016


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