Georgia Governor

Description

The Governor of the State of Georgia is an elected constitutional officer, the head of the executive branch and the highest state office in Georgia. The governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and is limited to two consecutive terms. No individual may again hold the office again until four years, a single gubernatorial term, have elapsed. The governor has a number of powers in state government, set forth by the constitution, including proposing new programs and laws for the state, proposing a state budget for the legislature to consider, vetoing legislation and appointing members of many of the boards in state government. The governor is both the "conservator of peace" and the "commander-in-chief of the military forces" within Georgia; they are also charged with upholding and executing all laws. There is a gubernatorial veto, which the legislature may override by a two-thirds majority in both chambers. At the start of each regular legislative session and at other times if they deem it prudent, the governor delivers a 'State of the State' to the General Assembly and makes recommendations for laws. Other duties and privileges of the office include: Issuing writs for special elections whenever either the House or Senate has a vacancy, Convening extraordinary sessions of the Assembly, not to exceed 40 days, as well as emergency sessions, Filling vacancies in all offices where the manner is not otherwise prescribed, subject to Senate confirmation, Requiring information from other constitutional officers and members of the executive on any aspects of their jobs and duties, A majority of executive departments are headed by policy-making boards, whose members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Georgia State Senate. Usually, the boards appoint a department director or commissioner in cooperation with the governor to administer agency affairs. A few department heads are appointed directly by the governor. The salary for this position is $139,339/year.

Application Guidelines

1) Contact the Georgia Secretary of State Office in order to confirm that your registered address qualifies you for the position you intend to run for, and to make sure there are no other qualifications which might make you ineligible. 2) Complete the Notice of Candidacy forms including a nominating petition if you plan to run as an independent. The amount of signatures required varies by office. Submit these Notice of Candidacy forms, petitions and a qualifying fee to the Georgia Secretary of State. Note* You can submit petition signatures in lieu of the filing fee. If you plan to run as an independent or for a nonpartisan office, submit these forms to the Georgia Secretary of State, however, if you are planning to run as a party candidate, submit these forms to your declared party. 3) Submit these forms during the week of the first Monday in March if you are running for a position that will appear on the May General Partisan Primary/Nonpartisan Ballot. If you plan to run as an independent or as a minor political body candidate in the November General Election, the filing window is during the week of the fourth Monday in June. If you have any questions please contact the Georgia Secretary of State by phone at 404-656-2881. More information on a position by position basis can be found here: http://elections.sos.ga.gov/GAElection/CandidateDetails