October 20, 2014
Amendment B 2014: Election of Appointed Lieutenant Governor
http://ballotpedia.org/Utah_Election_of_Appointed_Lieutenant_Governor,_Amendment_B_(2014)
Amendment B that is going for election this year is a change in the election of Governor and Lieutenant Governor. It the current system if a governor steps down or of the such the lieutenant governor will become the governor than will appoint someone to be the lieutenant governor that will be ratified by the legislature. The new governor and lieutenant governor will be subject to election at the next election whether it be the regular four year cycle or midterms. In the case the next elections are midterms the newly appointed governor is subject to that election as well as the next election in the four year cycle. With this system it is possible for the governor and lieutenant governor to serve different terms and be from different parties. A governor could serve four years while the lieutenant governor is subject to election.
The new amendment makes it so they are elected together every four years. If there is a vacancy in governor the lieutenant governor will fill that spot then appoint the new lieutenant governor that is ratified by the legislature and then will be subject to election at the four year cycle. The new format is like the current format with the president and vice president.
Opposition for the amendment comes from only one legislature member who says "Our current rules for replacing the Lt. Governor preserve a principle that is fundamental to our elected Republic: we use elections to choose our political leaders... the constitutional tinkering of Amendment B could double the chances of the Governor’s office becoming vacant and an unelected Lt. Governor filling the vacancy. Why on earth would we want to increase the chances of having a Governor we never elected?"
I understand argument being made by the opposition and it's exactly what happened with President Ford becoming the only President in our history not to be elected. In the grand scheme of things we by representative democracy are still voting for the new lieutenant governor. I like the new amendment because we get to have the governor and lieutenant governor be elected together and rids the chances of forcing two people who don't want each other as our governor and lieutenant governor.
I agree with your stance, Connor. Many of our current problems wouldn't be problems, if we had people who would work together. Getting to elect the Governor and the Lt. Governor in the same vote is better because we can see throughout the entire campaigning process how well they work with each other.
ReplyDeleteBeing able to work together is a major part of getting things done, and I agree with the amendment. The way the nation gets the vice pres works so, why not pass the amendment?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. While partisan politics is unappealing, it is a fact of our country, and if the governor and lieutenant were different parties, there would be far too much fighting. This way, while it can put someone in office for up to 4 years without an election, it increases the likelihood that we actually have an effective state executive branch. Another point: the governor announces his lieutenant as he runs, so by voting the governor into office, the people indicate support for the lieutenant as well. I have yet to read of any massive public outcry when John Tyler took over for William Henry Harrison.
ReplyDelete-Liam Brookhart
my logic and thought process through this has been directed to the effect the VP and president running together has. It seems rather odd and unorganized to have different terms even though the current system may seem more democratic
ReplyDeleteI agree that it seems terribly disorganized to have different election times for positions that work so closely together, but I have to be honest...I kind of like the idea of having the lieutenant governor being from a different party. It might introduce some balance into the mess, if they could still work together and accomplish things.
ReplyDeleteIt does seem like things would be a lot more organized. I personally can't keep track of what election is when and what the election is even for now a days! Also, did you mean to white out that text or did the government censor you? ;)
ReplyDelete