The statewide elected officials are governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general.

All three officers are separately elected four-year terms in years following Presidential elections (1997, 2001, 2005, etc.) and take office in January of the following year. Virginia is one of only five states that elects its state officials in odd numbered years (the others are Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and New Jersey). The last gubernatorial election was in 2017, and the next will occur in 2021.

The governor serves as chief executive officer of the Commonwealth and as commander-in-chief of its militia. The Constitution does not allow a governor to succeed himself in office (though a governor is allowed to serve multiple non-consecutive terms). The Lieutenant Governor, who is not elected on the same ticket as the governor, serves as president of the Senate of Virginia and is first in the line of succession to the governor. The Lieutenant Governor is allowed to run for reelection. The Attorney General is chief legal advisor to the governor and the General Assembly, chief lawyer of the Commonwealth and the head of the Department of Law. The attorney general is second in the line of succession to the governor. Whenever there is a vacancy in all three executive offices of governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general, then the Speaker of the House of the Virginia House of Delegates becomes governor.

The five state agencies in the Administration secretariat manage the Commonwealth’s buildings and grounds, administer employee policies and benefits, oversee elections, safeguard human rights, work to improve manager-employee relations in state government, direct state funds to constitutional officers, and oversee the Commonwealth’s information technology.

Grindly Johnson currently serves as Secretary of Administration for the Commonwealth of Virginia. In her role, she oversees the Compensation Board, the Department of Elections, the Department of General Services, the Department of Human Resource Management, the Virginia Information Technologies Agency and the Office of the Chief Data Officer.

The Virginia Secretariat of Agriculture and Forestry was created in 2004. It oversees the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Virginia Department of Forestry. Governor Mark Warner appointed former Delegate Robert Bloxom as the first secretary.

The Secretary of Commerce and Trade is dedicated to developing and growing an economy that works for all Virginians. Our 12 agencies are dedicated in assisting Virginians in a variety of ways, enabling them to actively contribute to our economy. We strive to utilize the great assets of Virginia to help sustain its status as the best place to live, work, and conduct business.

The Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth is responsible for assisting the Governor in a number of different capacities and has team members to oversee the following areas:

• Appointments
• Authentications and Notary
• Conflict of Interest/Public Records
• Extraditions
• Lobbyist Registration
• Pardons
• Restoration of Rights
• Service of Process
• Constituency Engagement
• Constituent Services

The Secretary of Education provides guidance and support to the Virginia Department of Education, the Virginia Community College System, and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, as well as Virginia’s public and private higher education and research centers.

The Secretary of Finance provides guidance to the four key agencies within the Finance Secretariat. These agencies handle all the financial transactions of the Commonwealth — from collecting taxes, to paying bills, to distributing aid to localities.

Their responsibilities include:

• forecasting and collecting revenues
• managing the Commonwealth’s cash and investments
• selling bonds
• overseeing internal audits
• making strategic financial plans
• preparing and executing the Commonwealth’s budget.

The Secretary of Health and Human Resources oversees twelve state agencies which provide often-vital services to Virginians. Individuals with disabilities, the aging community, low-income working families, children, caregivers and the provider network are supported through the work of this Secretariat.

In addition, our agencies license health practitioners and ensure safe drinking water in the Commonwealth.

The Secretary of Natural Resources advises the Governor on natural resources issues and works to advance the Governor’s top environmental priorities. The Secretary oversees five agencies that protect and restore the Commonwealth’s natural and historic resources. The Secretary’s office and all of the natural resources agencies work together to uphold the provisions of Article XI of the Virginia Constitution:

Building a Safer More Resilient Virginia
The Secretariat also assists the Governor in the development and implementation of public safety and homeland security policies. The Secretariat supports the Governor’s strategic priorities through four established pillars of interagency collaboration:  All-Hazards Emergency Response, Reducing Recidivism, Preventing Gun Violence, and Smart Policing.

The Secretary of Transportation is committed to creating and maintaining a multimodal network that connects Virginians to jobs, education, and health care across the Commonwealth and serves as the platform for Virginia’s economy.  Working collaboratively, we can advance this network by tying transportation decisions to economic competitiveness and identifying innovative solutions to transportation challenges.

Agencies the Secretariat oversees move people and goods by rail, water, transit, and over our roadways. Our sea ports, airports, space port, bridges, tunnels, and highways serve as global gateways for the Commonwealth, opening Virginia to economic opportunity by creating access to regional, national, and world markets.

The Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs serves the Commonwealth in four critical ways.

First, it oversees the Virginia Department of Veteran Services (DVS), whose mission is to serve Virginia’s Veterans, Guardsmen, Reservists, and their family members, by ensuring they receive timely transition, employment and education assistance, benefits, health care and long-term care and recognition they have earned through service to our Nation and Commonwealth. The Secretary distinguishes and elevates issues and opportunities for Veterans and transitioning Service members in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  Of primary importance are the employment, health care, and education needs of our Veterans. With the seventh-largest Veteran population in the Nation and the greatest number of Veteransin the workforce per capita, the Secretariat maintains a particular focus on employment of our newest generation of Veterans who have the current skills needed here in the Commonwealth.

Second, the Secretariat serves as the primary liaison for the Commonwealth to the United States Department of Defense and its military communities. It leads the Governor’s initiatives focused on relationship building with and support of our military and defense installations and the communities surrounding them. Through the Governor’s Virginia Military Advisory Council (VMAC) and active Secretariat community involvement, the Commonwealth continues to be an engaged host in support of the military and defense missions in the state.

Next, the Secretary oversees the Virginia Department of Military Affairs (DMA), DMA’s mission is to effectively integrate military and homeland defense capabilities into applicable state operations; employ, train, and manage the Virginia Militia, consisting of the Virginia National Guard (the Virginia Army National Guard and the Virginia Air National Guard) and the Virginia Defense Forces; and to ensure the safety of the citizens of the Commonwealth during declared emergencies.

Lastly, the Secretariat oversees the Veteran Service Foundation (VSF). The VSF provides supplemental funding to programs, services, and initiatives of the Department of Veteran Services when state and federal resources are unavailable. All charitable donations to VSF stay right here in the Commonwealth and go toward providing access and services to Virginia Veterans.

We are honored to serve the Commonwealth and our Veterans , and look forward to working with you to continue to make Virginia the most Veteran and military friendly state in the Nation.