Minnesota Governor

Description

The Governor of the State of Minnesota is an elected constitutional officer, the head of the executive branch and the highest state office in Minnesota. The governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and has no term limit. As of June 2016, Minnesota was one of 20 states that was under divided government and was therefore not one of the state government trifectas. The constitutionally prescribed duties and powers of the governor are quite lean compared to some other states. Minnesota's governor is the commander-in-chief of the state's militia and naval forces and is charged with upholding and seeing to the faithful execution of all laws. Along with the Attorney General of Minnesota and the Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, the governor sits on the state Board of Pardons. However, the power of pardon does not extend to cases of impeachment. Other duties and privileges of the office include: Requesting written opinions from any executive officer on any matter relating to that officer's duties, Making appointments (with the advice and consent of the Senate, when the offices of the Secretary of State, Attorney General, Auditor, and other state and district offices not otherwise provided for by law become vacant), Appointing Commissioners, Appointing notaries public. The salary for this position is $119,850/year.

Application Guidelines

1) Contact the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office to assist you in the filing process. Check that your registered address qualifies you for the position you intend to run for, and that you meet other office specific qualifications. 2) Complete nominating petitions if you are running as a minor party candidate or an independent candidate along with the other required documents and then submit these items to the appropriate filing officer. The filing officer is who the candidate files their affidavit of candidacy and petitions with. Federal candidates file with the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office. State candidates can file with either the Minnesota Secretary of State or with the auditor of their county of residence. County office candidates file with the county and municipal office candidates file with their local office. If you are running as a major party candidate or for a nonpartisan office you are not required to submit a nominating petition. All candidates must pay a filing fee or submit a nomination petition in lieu of a filing fee. Note: a nominating petition differs from a nomination petition. The nominating petition is required for minor party or independent party candidates to become eligible for placement on the ballot. A Petition in Place of Filing Fee is an optional document that can be used in lieu of paying a filing fee and is an available option to all candidates. Candidates filing by petition should closely review state requirements. 3) Submit the nominating petitions, filing fee (or A Petition in Place of Filing Fee) and other required documents to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office during the filing window. If the position in which you are running for has a possible primary, submit the documents between 84 and 70 days before the primary. The Minnesota primary election is held the first Tuesday after the first Monday in August. If the position does not have a primary election, submit the documents between 98 days and 84 days before the general election. If you have any questions please contact the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office by phone at 1-877-600-VOTE (8683).