Much like the President of the United States, the governor of each individual state has the immense responsibility of ensuring that his or her state government operates as efficiently as possible, while also appeasing the states' voting population. As such, the governor essentially forms a cabinet with individual agency directors to whom he or she allocates certain daily operations to. While some of these positions are filled by the governor's nominees, a majority of these positions are filled according to the popular vote of the people. Thus, much like the governor and president, these candidates are compelled to campaign and promote their political agenda to the people. Though there are numerous positions such as these, the four key subordinate offices are that of the Secretary of State, the Treasurer, the Attorney General, and the Lieutenant Governor
The Secretary of State is essential to the daily operations and administration of the state government. The Secretary of State is essentially a glorified office manager, whose responsible for state record-keeping, clerical tasks, public documents, and so forth. The Secretary of State, contrary to the federal position, holds very little authority outside of his or her internal office operations. Every state, with the exception of Hawaii, Alaska, and Utah, has a Secretary of State.
The Treasurer position, as its name suggests, is in charge of state government finances. The Treasurer is not only responsible for collecting tax revenues, but disbursing payments from the state treasury as well. Such payments include, but are not limited to: state employee payrolls, service bills of the state, and state tax refunds.
The Attorney General of the state is the chief legal advisor and attorney of the state government. He or she provides counsel to designated state agencies and officials, ensuring the legality of their operations. Additionally, the Attorney General is the chief prosecuting attorney within the state, and manages a staff composed of all local state prosecutors as well. It is the responsibility of the Attorney General to interpret Constitutional law, advise state agencies in their operations, and form legal "opinions" on other legal proceedings.
The Lieutenant Governor role is very similar to that of the Vice President of the United States, in that they are responsible for very little in government operations, unless requested to do so by their superior. In the event of the elected governor's absence or death, the Lieutenant Governor is next in line in succession. Additionally, like the Vice President, the Lieutenant Governor presides over the state senate. Though the majority of U.S. states have this position, some states have elected not to have a Lieutenant Governor.
