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 ...

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, 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 (state), New York to the west, and the Provin ...

. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term 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 A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

. Constitution of Vermont Chapter 2, Section 20. The incumbent Vermont Governor is Republican Phil Scott. He was sworn in on January 5, 2017, becoming Vermont's 82nd Governor.

Function

The Governor's working offices are located in

The Pavilion A pavilion is a type of building. Pavilion or Pavillion may also refer to: Places United States *Pavilion, New York, a town **Pavilion (CDP), New York, census-designated place within the town *Pavillion, Wyoming, a town Canada *Pavilion, Briti ...

in the state capital of

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 electio ...

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 pres ...

, is located in the Vermont State House, also in Montpelier. The Constitution of Vermont 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 State law refers to the law of a federated state, as distinguished from the law of the federation A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, o ...

*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

pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...

s 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 Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...

, 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, 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 a ...

ation of any

commodity In economics, a commodity is an economic good, usually a resource, that has full or substantial fungibility: that is, the market treats instances of the good as equivalent or nearly so with no regard to who produced them. The price of a co ...

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

of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, and no longer than they shall approve thereof" There is a separately-elected Lieutenant Governor of Vermont. 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 Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

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