General Election: State Officers

State officers include Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Treasurer, Secretary of State, Auditor of Accounts, and Attorney General. The Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Treasurer, Secretary of State, and Auditor of Accounts are constitutional officers. The former three officers have been popularly elected since 1778, while the Secretary of State and Auditor of Accounts were elected by the General Assembly until a constitutional change effected in 1884 made them popularly elected. The Office of Auditor of Accounts was first created by an act passed in 1790 and became a constitutional office in 1883.

The Attorney General's Office was established by a 1790 law which was repealed in 1797. The Office was re-established by No. 57 of the Acts of 1904. During the 1790s the Attorney General was elected by the General Assembly; since 1906 the attorney general has been popularly elected.

Candidates for the Offices of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Treasurer must receive a majority vote to win. If there is no majority candidate the General Assembly shall elect the officer from among the top three vote getters for that particular office. Until the 1990s the majority requirement was also applied to the Secretary of State, Auditor of Accounts, and Attorney General. For more information, see Failure to Attain a Majority.