Maine Governor

Employer / Organization

Maine

Next Election

Nov 08, 2022

Filing Window

Oct 15, 2021 - Apr 01, 2022

Description

The Governor of the State of Maine is an elected constitutional officer, the head of the executive branch and the highest state office in Maine. The governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and is limited to two successive terms. There is not, however, a limit on the number of total terms a governor may serve. The governor acts as commander-in-chief of "the army and navy of the State, and of the militia" (the Maine National Guard), "except when the same are called into the actual service of the United States." The governor has the power to appoint officers, to appoint all judicial officers subject to confirmation except probate judges and justices of the peace if their manner of selection is otherwise provided for by the state constitution or by law, and to appoint and all other civil and military officers whose appointment is not by this constitution, or otherwise provided for by law.The governor will have power to grant reprieves, commutations and pardons, unless impeached. The power to grant reprieves, commutations and pardons also includes juvenile offenses. Other duties and privileges of the office include: Convening extraordinary sessions of the legislature, adjourning the legislature when necessary to so intervene, and moving the meeting place of the legislature under specific circumstances; Requiring reports and information from any officer of the state or of the state's militia on any circumstances of their job; Delivering information and recommending measures to the state's General Assembly from time to time. The salary for this office is $70,000/year.

Application Guidelines
1) Contact the Maine Department of the Secretary of State Division of Elections to confirm that your registered address qualifies you for the position you intend to run for, and that you meet other office specific qualifications. Obtain the required filing forms. 2) Complete the required filing forms and submit the filing forms to the Maine Department of the Secretary of State Division of Elections. The required forms include petition signatures, a “Candidate’s Consent” form and if you plan to run as a non-party candidates, a “Certificate of Candidate Unenrollment” to confirm you are not party affiliated. If you plan to run as a party candidate, please contact your local political party for details on how to run as a party candidate. All candidates should inquire about the campaign finance rules and regulations with the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics. 3) Nominating petitions are due to the local registrar on May 25th of the election year (if May 25th falls on a holiday or weekend, then the date the nominating petitions are due to the local registrar will be the following business day). Petition signature requirements vary by office. Once certified by the local registrar, the petitions in addition to the “Certificate of Candidate Unenrollment,” which is issued by the local registrar, are due to the Maine Department of the Secretary of State Division of Elections on June 1st of the election year (if June 1st falls on a holiday or weekend, then the date the nominating petitions are due to the Maine Department of the Secretary of State Division of Elections will be the following business day). If you have any questions or concerns you are encouraged to contact the Maine Department of the Secretary of State Division of Elections at (207) 624-7650 or visit the Division of Elections website: www.maine.gov/sos. The 2016 candidates guide can be found here: http://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/candidate/2016guide.pdf.