Negative Effects Of The Plural Executive Model

There are positive and negative effects to the plural executive model. Historically, state governors were known for abusing their power when appointing friends to political positions or handing them out as favors they would call upon later. This is why Texas in the 1850 amendment established a plural executive where by the governor must share power with other popularly elected executives, in this case the lieutenant governor, state treasurer, comptroller, general land commissioner, and executive officer. The president of the United States still has a cabinet of appointed officials, but Texas like most states have changed to elected officials. A major drawback to this form is that it lacks cohesion, leading to political officials chasing after many different goals. The governor has much less power to lead the group in any unified direction. Also, while voting prevents governor bias, voters do not always elect the most qualified officials.

In Texas, the only executive official appointed by the governor is the Secretary of State. The other executive officials, who run on their own, are the Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller of Public Accounts, Commissioner of the General Land Office, Commissioner of Agriculture, Elected Boards and Commissions, Railroad Commission, State Board of Education,

A single executive body is where the arm of the executive and its powers over legislation are given to one person. This brings certain problems such as accountability however it can be rewarding due to the set direction of a singular entity. There are many advantages to having a single executive and one of these is the concentrated direction of a single person that a governor. This makes the voting for a governor and lieutenant governor extremely important because this is the main opportunity for the people to decide the direction they want their government to be heading