California Governor

Employer / Organization

California

Next Election

Jun 07, 2022

Filing Window

Feb 14, 2022 - Mar 11, 2022

Description

The Governor of California serves as the leader of the executive branch, thus holding the highest office in the state. The Governor’s primary responsibilities involve signing, or vetoing bills from the state legislature and serving as the commander-in-chief of the state military. This position also allows for the use of a line-item veto for bills that relate to appropriations. A line-item veto is also referred to as a partial veto, and pronounces the ability of the Governor (in specific appropriation situations) to reverse or cancel specific provisions of a bill without needing to veto the entire legislative proposal. The Governor also has the power to grant pardons and commute sentences, as long as the circumstances do not involve impeachment. The Governor also serves as the president of the Board of Regents of the University of California (the governing board of the University of California system) in addition to a similar position for the state university system. It should be noted that the Governor and Lieutenant Governor do not run together, they are elected separately. The Governor serves a four-year term with a limit of two consecutive terms, and the salary of this position is estimated at $173,987 per year.

Application Guidelines
To file for this position follow these three simple steps: 1) Contact the county clerk's office of your official residence to verify that you qualify for the position. All candidate filings for all California positions are handled by the county elections office of the candidate's official residence. You should also verify that you meet any other requirements (for example, living within the district for a specified amount of time prior to the election). Most county elections departments understand that first time candidates may have some additional questions or concerns, and they will answer questions when you are picking up your paperwork, or will allow you to schedule an appointment to speak with someone. 2) Obtain the appropriate filing papers from the county elections office and complete the paperwork required. If there is any difficulty in connecting with this office, contact the California Secretary of State's Elections Division at (916) 657-2166 or http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections to help obtain the correct contact information for your county elections department. 3) Submit the candidacy papers within the 113-88 day filing window prior to the election (most California elections use the 113-88 day filing window). After completing this paperwork and filing it with the county elections office of your residence you will then appear on the ballot for the statewide June "Top Two" election, where the top two candidates with the most votes will advance to the November general election; the eventual winner of the November election will be the candidate elected to the office. If you have any questions regarding running for this position, contact your county's elections office or the California Secretary of State Elections Division as soon as possible.