The governor of Vermont is the

head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a gro ...

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a

term Term may refer to: * Terminology, or term, a noun or compound word used in a specific context, in particular: **Technical term, part of the specialized vocabulary of a particular field, specifically: ***Scientific terminology, terms used by scient ...

of 2 years. Vermont and bordering

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every 2 years, instead of every 4 as in the other 48 U.S. states. There is no limit on the number of terms a Vermont Governor can serve. If no candidate receives at least 50% plus one vote of all votes for Governor cast in the election, the Governor of Vermont is then elected by the state legislature.

Constitution of Vermont The Constitution of the State of Vermont is the fundamental body of law of the U.S. state of Vermont, describing and framing its government. It was adopted in 1793 following Vermont's admission to the Union in 1791 and is largely based upon the ...

Chapter 2, Section 20. The incumbent Vermont Governor is Republican

Phil Scott Philip Brian Scott (born August 4, 1958) is an American politician, businessman and stock car racer who has served as the 82nd governor of Vermont since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected governor in the 2016 general electi ...

. He was sworn in on January 5, 2017, becoming Vermont's 82nd Governor.

Function

The Governor's working offices are located in The Pavilion in the

state capital Below is an index of pages containing lists of capital cities. National capitals *List of national capitals * List of national capitals by latitude *List of national capitals by population * List of national capitals by area * List of capital c ...

Montpelier, Vermont Montpelier () is the capital city of the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Washington County. The site of Vermont's state government, it is the least populous state capital in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population ...

. The Governor's ceremonial office, used during the

legislative session A legislative session is the period of time in which a legislature, in both parliamentary and presidential systems, is convened for purpose of lawmaking, usually being one of two or more smaller divisions of the entire time between two election ...

of the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presb ...

, is located in the

Vermont State House The Vermont State House, located in Montpelier, is the state capitol of the U.S. state of Vermont. It is the seat of the Vermont General Assembly. The current Greek Revival structure is the third building on the same site to be used as the Sta ...

, also in Montpelier. The

details the powers of the Governor: *To commission or appoint all officers ("except where provision is, or shall be, otherwise made by law or this Frame of Government") *To fill all vacancies in office until the office can be filled in the manner directed by state constitution or by state law *To correspond with other States *To "transact business with officers of government, civil and military" *To "prepare such business as may appear necessary, to lay before the

. *To grant pardons and remit

fines Fines may refer to: * Fines, Andalusia, Spanish municipality * Fine (penalty) * Fine, a dated term for a premium on a lease of land, a large sum the tenant pays to commute (lessen) the rent throughout the term *Fines, ore or other products with a s ...

, except for cases of

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

, in which the Governor may only grant reprieves until the end of the next session of the General Assembly, and for cases of impeachment, in which the Governor cannot grant either reprieves or pardons *To "take care that the laws be faithfully executed" and "expedite the execution of such measures as may be resolved upon by the General Assembly" *To "draw upon the

Treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be state or royal property, church treasure or i ...

for such sums as may be appropriated by the General Assembly" *To "lay

embargoes Economic sanctions are commercial and financial penalties applied by one or more countries against a targeted self-governing state, group, or individual. Economic sanctions are not necessarily imposed because of economic circumstances—they may ...

, or prohibit the

export An export in international trade is a good produced in one country that is sold into another country or a service provided in one country for a national or resident of another country. The seller of such goods or the service provider is an ...

ation of any commodity" for up to 30 days during a recess of the General Assembly *To "grant such licenses as shall be directed by law" *To call

special session In a legislature, a special session (also extraordinary session) is a period when the body convenes outside of the normal legislative session. This most frequently occurs in order to complete unfinished tasks for the year (often delayed by confli ...

s of the General Assembly when necessary *To be the "

Captain-General Captain general (and its literal equivalent in several languages) is a high military rank of general officer grade, and a gubernatorial title. History The term "Captain General" started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of Command ...

and Commander-in-Chief" of the "forces of the State" (the

Vermont State Guard The Vermont State Guard (VSG) is the all-volunteer state defense force of the state of Vermont. The Vermont State Guard serves parallel to the Vermont National Guard, acting as a reserve force for the State of Vermont Military Department. The Verm ...

and

Vermont National Guard The Vermont National Guard is composed of the Vermont Army National Guard and the Vermont Air National Guard. Together, they are collectively known as the Green Mountain Boys. Both units use the original Revolutionary War-era Flag of the Green ...

), although the Governor cannot "command in person, in time of war, or

insurrection Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

, unless by the

advice and consent Advice and consent is an English phrase frequently used in enacting formulae of bills and in other legal or constitutional contexts. It describes either of two situations: where a weak executive branch of a government enacts something prev ...

of the Senate, and no longer than they shall approve thereof" There is a separately-elected

Lieutenant Governor of Vermont The lieutenant governor of Vermont is elected for a two-year term and chosen separately from the governor. The Vermont Lieutenant Governor's main responsibilities include acting as governor when the governor is out of state or incapacitated, presi ...

. The Lieutenant Governor becomes the new Governor, if the incumbent Governor dies, resigns or is removed (via impeachment) from office. The Lieutenant Governor is also the Lieutenant-General of the "forces of the State."

Succession

References

;General * Doyle, William T. "The Vermont Political Tradition and Those Who Helped Make It." Doyle Publisher: 1987. . * Duffy, John J., et al. ''The Vermont Encyclopedia.'' University Press of New England: 2003. . * Potash, P. Jeffrey, et al. ''Freedom and Unity: A History of Vermont.'' Vermont Historical Society: 2004. .

External links

Official website of the Governor of VermontSnelling Center for Government study and poll on the length of term of Vermont governorsGovernment of Vermont portal
{{Vermont statewide elected officials *

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Politics of Vermont 1791 establishments in Vermont

Function

Succession

See also

References

External links