Table 4.2

The Governors: Qualifications for Office


FIPS State or other
jurisdiction
Minimum Age State citizen
(years)
U.S. citizen
(years) (a)
State resident
(years) (b)
Qualified voter
years
01Alabama307107

02Alaska3077

04Arizona255105

05Arkansas307

06California1855

08Colorado302

09Connecticut*306 months

10Delaware*30126

12Florida*307

7

13Georgia30156

15Hawaii3055

16Idaho*3022

17Illinois*253

18Indiana*3055

19Iowa3022

20Kansas*

21Kentucky3022

22Louisiana*25555

23Maine*30155

24Maryland30

25Massachusetts*7

26Michigan*30

4

27Minnesota*251

28Mississippi*30205

29Missouri301510

30Montana252

31Nebraska3055

32Nevada*2522

33New Hampshire307

34New Jersey30207

__New Mexico305

36New York*305

37North Carolina*3052

38North Dakota*305

39Ohio18

40Oklahoma311010

(c)

41Oregon303

42Pennsylvania*307

44Rhode Island*1830 days30 days30 days

30 days

45South Carolina3055

46South Dakota*212

47Tennessee*307

48Texas*305

49Utah30535

50Vermont*184

51Virginia*305

1

53Washington18

54West Virginia305

55Wisconsin18

56Wyoming305

60American Samoa*355

66Guam*3055

69CNMI* **3510

72Puerto Rico*35555

78U.S. Virgin Islands*3055


Source:

The Council of State Governments' survey of governors' offices, 2022.

Key:

* Information from The Council of State Governments’ survey of governors’ offices and review of state websites, 2021.
** Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands.
Formal provision; number of years not specified.
No formal provision.

Footnotes:

(a)

In some states you must be a U.S. citizen to be an elector, and must be an elector to run.

(b)

In some states you must be a state resident to be an elector, and must be an elector to run.

(c)

In order to file as a candidate for nomination by a political party to any state or county office, a person must have been a registered voter of that party for the six month period preceding the first day of the filing period.