What makes Virginia unique?
There are many answers to this question, from its natural beauty to its history to its people. But I would like to praise a specific attribute of Virginiaâs in this column: its constitutional limit of one consecutive term for governors.
No other state currently imposes the limit on its governor found in Section V of our state constitution: âHe shall be ineligible to the same office for the term next succeeding that for which he was elected.â
Governors can run for election and serve again four years after completing their terms, and some have, such as former Gov. Mills Godwin in 1965 and in 1973. Former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) is attempting to do so now. Nevertheless, limiting them to one term in a row provides a crucial check on executive power in Virginia.