Maryland Governor

Employer / Organization

Maryland

Next Election

Nov 08, 2022

Filing Window

Feb 22, 2021 - Jul 01, 2022

Description

The Governor of the State of Maryland is an elected constitutional officer, the head of the executive branch and the highest state office in Maryland. The governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and is limited to two consecutive terms. Because of the extent of her constitutional powers, the governor of Maryland has been ranked among the most powerful governors in the United States. The governor is the commander-in-chief of all Maryland's naval and militia forces, though he may not take direct command without the consent of the legislature. With the consent of the Senate, the governor nominates and appoints all civil and military officers whose manner of appointment is not otherwise provided in law. However, under §10 and 10A, "lame duck" governors lose that privilege. Specifically, a governor who has lost a primary or a general election in a re-election bid in the span between the election he lost and the inauguration loses his appointment prerogatives. The same applies to a term-limited governor in the span between Election Day and Inauguration Day. The only exceptions is for emergencies, which require the governor to file a statement of emergency with the Maryland Secretary of State; such appointments may be revoked by the succeeding governor. At his pleasure, the governor may remove any appointee for incompetence or misconduct. Rare among governors, Maryland's chief executive may also suspend any military officer and may, further, initiate a court martial. At least twice each year, the governor must, under oath, examine the treasurer and the Comptroller of Maryland, and review the state's books. The governor also gives a periodic address to the legislature on the condition of the state and makes recommendations. Other duties and privileges of the office include: Convening extraordinary session of the legislature, or the Senate alone, as well as moving the location of the legislature's meeting under special circumstances; Vetoing all bills from the legislature, including appropriations bills, subject to a legislative override; Granting pardons and reprieves, saves in cases in impeachment, and forfeiting fines, provided he follows a certain protocol for notifying lawmakers and citizens of such action; Reorganizing the Executive Branch, including establishing and abolishing entire departments, offices, and agencies. The salary for this position is $150,000/year.

Application Guidelines
In order to appear on the ballot for this position, follow these three steps. 1) Contact the Maryland State Board of Elections to confirm that your address is in the district for which you are seeking and that you pass any residency or professional requirements needed. 2) Obtain the candidacy filing paperwork during the appropriate period. In Maryland the candidate filing period begins the last day of February during the year preceding the election. Candidates will also be required to file financial disclosure statements on behalf of the campaign. 3) Candidates must file their paperwork by the second to last day of February during the year of the election. If candidates miss this deadline they will not appear on the ballot for the general election or primary (if applicable). For further questions, contact the Maryland State Board of Elections at (410) 269-2840 / (800) 222-8683 or [email protected], or contact your state party if you are seeking to represent them.

Submit application to:
Maryland State Board of Elections, 151 West Street, Suite 200, Annapolis, MD, 21401, US