Governor of Texas

Qualifications

Article IV, Section 4 of the Constitution of Texas sets three qualifications for candidates for governor of Texas:

• Be at least 30 years old;
• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be a resident of Texas for at least five years preceding the election.

Oath of office and election

Governors of Texas are directly elected by registered voters in Texas and serve terms of four years, with no term limits. Before executing the powers of the office, a governor is required to recite the oath of office as found in Article XVI, Section 1 of the Constitution of Texas:

Incoming Texas governors take office on the third Tuesday of January following an election.

Removal of a governor from office

The Texas governor can be impeached by the State House of Representatives for committing treason, bribery, or any other high crime or misdemeanor. Once the governor is impeached, the case is forwarded to the State Senate for trial. A two-thirds majority vote in the Senate is required to remove the governor from office. Unlike other states, Texas does not have a provision in the state constitution that allows voters to petition for a recall election to remove the governor. On the other hand, political scientists have shown that impeachment in Texas is very rare and often shaped by political considerations rather than just legal standards. (Stewart, 2014).

Historical development

The state's first constitution in 1845 established the office of governor, to serve for two years, but no more than four years out of every six (essentially a limit of no more than two consecutive terms). The 1861 secessionist constitution set the term start date at the first Monday in the November following the election. The 1866 constitution, adopted just after the American Civil War, increased terms to 4 years, but no more than 8 years out of every 12, and moved the start date to the first Thursday after the organization of the legislature, or "as soon thereafter as practicable". The Reconstruction-era constitution of 1869 removed the limit on terms, Texas remains one of 16 states, territory or jurisdiction (including the U.S. Territory of Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia) with no gubernatorial term limits. The present constitution of 1876 shortened terms back to two years, but a 1972 amendment increased it to four years again.

The gubernatorial election is held every four years on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November that does not coincide with the presidential elections. All gubernatorial elections have been a part of the midterm elections since the 1974 election, invalidating the latter. The governor is sworn in every four years along with the lieutenant governor.

Despite the lack of term limits, no Texas governor in the 19th or 20th century ever served more than seven and a half consecutive years in office (Allan Shivers) or eight years total service (Bill Clements, in two non-consecutive four-year terms). Former governor Rick Perry, who served from 2000 to 2015, surpassed both these records, becoming the first Texas governor to serve three consecutive four-year terms. When Perry won the general election on November 2, 2010, he joined Shivers, Price Daniel, and John Connally as the only Texas governors elected to three terms (the terms served by governors Shivers, Daniel, and Connally were two-year terms). On November 8, 2022, current governor Greg Abbott was re-elected and became the fifth Texas governor to serve three terms following Shivers, Daniel, Connally and Perry. In case of a vacancy in the office of governor, the lieutenant governor becomes governor. This rule was added only in a 1999 amendment, prior to which the lieutenant governor only acted as governor, except during the time of the 1861 constitution, which said that the lieutenant governor would be styled "Governor of the State of Texas" in case of vacancy.

The Lieutenant Governor of Texas has influence over state policy because of their control of the Texas Senate's agenda and committee assignments. This influence is close to that of the governor's in things like legislative matters like budgeting and election law.

Executive powers

Texas utilizes a plural executive government where no single government official is solely responsible for the Executive Branch. The Texas governor has a very minimal control over the Legislative Budget Board. The Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the House manages the state's budget.

Plural Executive System

Texas has a unique plural executive system which allows the executive officials like the lieutenant governor, attorney general, comptroller, land commissioner, and the agriculture commissioner to be elected independently. This significantly limits the governor's direct control over executive policies in comparison to other states that have centralized executive authority. (Rottinghaus, 2024). As a result, while the Governor retains formal powers such as the ability to veto and appoint certain boards, topics like budgeting and agency oversight are left in the hands of the legislative branch. At the same time, this structure accurately reflects a common Texas belief in decentralized government and ensures that key powers are widely distributed so that no single official holds excessive control.

Official residence and workplace

Main article: Texas Governor's Mansion

The official residence of the Texas governor is the Texas Governor's Mansion, in Austin. The mansion was built in 1854 and has been the home of every governor since 1856. It is also one of the official workplaces for the governor.

The governor's primary official workplace is located within the Texas State Capitol in Austin.

Timeline

Line of succession

The gubernatorial line of succession is set by Article IV, Sections 3a and 16–18 of the Constitution of Texas and Chapter 401.023 of Title 4 the Texas Gov't Code.

References

References

1. "CSG Report on 2019 Governor Salaries". The Council of State Governments.
2. Rottinghaus, Brandon. (2024-12-31). "Rick Perry: A Political Life". University of Texas Press.
3. "THE TEXAS CONSTITUTION ARTICLE 16. GENERAL PROVISIONS".
4. "THE TEXAS CONSTITUTION ARTICLE 15. IMPEACHMENT".
5. Admin, Tarlton. "Tarlton Law Library: Constitution of Texas (1845): Article V: Executive Department".
6. 1845 Const. Art V sec 4
7. Admin, Tarlton. "Tarlton Law Library: Constitution of Texas (1861): Article V: Executive Department".
8. 1861 Const. art V sec 12
9. Admin, Tarlton. "Tarlton Law Library: Constitution of Texas (1866): Article V: Executive Department".
10. 1866 Const. art V sec 4
11. 1869 Const. Art IV sec 4
12. [http://www.nga.org/files/pdf/BOS4-9.pdf Executive Branch] {{webarchive. link. (2011-06-29 retrieved 23-October-2008)
13. TX Const. Art IV sec 4
14. [http://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/1_3_1.html Texas Politics - The Executive Branch] {{webarchive. link. (2009-02-11 . Texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu. Retrieved on 2013-07-15.)
15. TX Const. art IV sec 16 graf d
16. The Texas Constitution, Article 4, Section 16; https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CN/htm/CN.4.htm
17. 1861 Const art V sec 12
18. "Texas Government 1.0, The Executive Branch, The Texas Plural Executive".
19. "Legislative Reference Library {{!}} Legislation {{!}} State Budget".
20. "Why Is the Texas Governor's Power Weaker than Other States?".
21. "Why Did the Texas Constitution Establish a Plural Executive".
22. Association, Texas State Historical. "History of the Texas Governor's Mansion".
23. "Texas Governor's Mansion".
24. "Governor's Office".
25. "THE TEXAS CONSTITUTION ARTICLE 4. EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT".
26. "Section 401.023 — Succession". [[Texas Legislature]].