Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina

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The Lieutenant Governor of the State of North Carolina is an elected Constitutional officer, the second ranking officer of the Executive branch, and the first officer in line to succeed the Governor of North Carolina. The Lieutenant Governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and is limited to two consecutive terms.

Current officeholder

See also: Current Lieutenant Governors

The 33rd and current lieutenant governor is Walter H. Dalton, a Democrat elected in 2008.

Authority

The state Constitution addresses the office of the governor in Article III, the Executive Department.

Under Article III, Section II:

The Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall be elected by the qualified voters of the State...

Qualifications

Governors
Current Governors
Gubernatorial Elections
2012 • 2011 • 2010 Lists of candidates
Current Lt. Governors
Lt. Governor Elections
2012 • 2011 • 2010
Breaking news

Candidates for the lieutenant office of the governor must be:

• at least 30 years old
• a citizen of the United States for at least five years
• a resident of North Carolina for at least two years

Additionally, no Lieutenant Governor-elect may take office until she has taken an oath before the Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.

Elections

See also: Gubernatorial election cycles by state

See also: Election of lieutenant governors

North Carolina elects lieutenant governors in the Presidential elections, that is, in leap years. For North Carolina, 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 are all lieutenant gubernatorial election years. Legally, the lieutenant gubernatorial inauguration is always set for the first day in the January following an election. Thus, January 1, 2013 and January 1, 2017 are inaugural days.

Vacancies

Details of vacancies are addressed under Article III, Section 7.

Whenever the office of the Lieutenant Governor becomes vacant, the Governor appoints a replacement. If the lieutenant gubernatorial term would expire the following January, then the appointee serves the remainder of the term. Otherwise, the appointee only serves as an Acting Lieutenant Governor until the next legislative election that is more than 60 days away.

Duties

North Carolina's Lieutenant Governor is the only elected official to have powers in both the legislative and executive branches of state government. The lieutenant governor's primary responsibility is to preside over the North Carolina State Senate. The lieutenant governor is a member of the North Carolina Council of State, the North Carolina Board of Education, the North Carolina Capitol Planning Commission and the North Carolina Board of Community Colleges.

The Lieutenant Governor is head of the North Carolina State Senate, but only casts a vote when the regular members are tied. She is also the first to succeed, either temporarily or permanently, when the Governor is incapacitated.

She has such other responsibilities and duties as the Governor shall assign.

Compensation

See also: Comparison of lieutenant gubernatorial salaries

The lieutenant governor's pay is set by law and may not be increased or diminished effective during the current term.

As of 2010, the lieutenant governor is paid $123,198 a year, the 11th highest lieutenant gubernatorial salary in America.

Contact information

310 N. Blount Street, 27601
20401 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-0401
Phone:919-733-7350
Fax:919-733-6595

See also

• North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Walter H. Dalton
• Governor of North Carolina
• North Carolina Attorney General
• North Carolina Secretary of State

External links

• Office of the North Carolina Governor