Why Can’t Virginia Governors Serve Consecutive Terms?

Of all the fifty states of America, there is only one where the governor cannot serve two consecutive terms, and that state is Virginia. For governors in the United States, twenty-three states keep governors at two four-year terms in a row, from which they can run again after sitting out for a term, nine states restrict candidates to two terms in their lifetime, and five states restrict governors to a certain time frame, but Virginia is the only state that doesn’t allow two consecutive terms. Virginia does not allow governors to serve consecutive terms because of a historic concern about the concentration of executive power. While this rule does have its historic roots, people still question whether it still properly serves Virginia today.

Virginia’s ban on consecutive terms dates back to the early history of the Commonwealth. In the colonial period, Virginia was ruled by governors appointed by the British Crown. Virginians felt a deep resentment towards these figures because of the enforcement of autocratic executive powers. It must also be mentioned that the General Assembly had the power to choose the governor and didn’t give citizens a voice. This made Virginians not trust an overly powerful executive branch of government (WAMU.org). When the Founding Fathers drafted Virginia’s first constitution in 1776, they decided to significantly weaken the executive branch in order to avoid the same tyranny they faced as Virginians. In 1776, the governor’s term was one year long, with a maximum of three consecutive years before a mandatory four-year break. Later, in 1830, the term was stretched to three years but with a ban on reelection, and finally, in 1851, Virginia switched to a four-year term but maintained the ban on consecutive terms (EncyclopediaVirginia.org).

The Constitution of Virginia lays out the term restrictions in Article V, Section 1, when it states, “He shall be ineligible to the same office for the term next succeeding that for which he was elected, and to any other office during his term of service.” This simply states that the governor serves a four-year term and cannot succeed him or herself in office, but this does not prohibit anyone from serving multiple terms. Meaning a former governor could run again after another person has served as governor.

The supporters of this rule usually look toward the old purpose, like restrictions help to prevent creating an overly strong executive branch. By limiting a governor to a four-year term, the Constitution guarantees that a single person cannot become too dominant. This shows the historic belief that a frequent change in leadership helps to protect a balanced government. Supporters also argue that the rule helps to envision new ideas and leadership. With frequent changes in administrations, each governor has their chance to introduce their own unique priorities and certain policies instead of having a single candidate create one agenda. Another reason of support is that candidates spend much more time serving as governor instead of campaigning. For a governor that is finishing their first term, instead of worrying about the next election cycle, which governors typically start thinking about 18–24 months into their term, they can better serve the people.

While the support for this rule is heavily embedded in Virginia’s history, there are still critics to the ban on non-consecutive terms. People that oppose this rule often bring up that governors can’t fully bring in their ideas and policies in such a short amount of time. Their idea is that while the rule is to restrict the executive branch from becoming too powerful, this makes the government too weak. They also argue that because governors are unable to run for reelection, voters can’t establish whether an incumbent is good or bad based on performance because there is not a long enough window to see their whole image and policies. Many scholars actually argue that allowing for consecutive terms would increase the accountability of governors and still respect term limits (Governing.com).

Overall, Virginia’s ban on consecutive terms is reflected by a multi-century concern to prevent the possibility of excessive power in the executive branch. Although this rule is definitely unique among the fifty states, opinions differ on whether it still effectively serves Virginia’s political system. Debates on executive leadership are still continuing, but the Commonwealth’s approach remains as an example of how historic influence remains in modern government.