Executive Vetoes and Legislative Overrides in the American States

Abstract

American states is based upon a study of Prescott reported in 1950.' Employing data for 1937, 1945, and 1947, Prescott observes that governors vetoed 6.7, 5.1, and 5.0 percent respectively of the measures passed by legislative bodies. With regard to legislative efforts to counteract such vetoes, he also notes, percentage of vetoed bills which were overriden has declined almost to the point.2 The purpose of this brief paper is twofold. First, for the most recent year for which reliable data are available (1973), we will ascertain the extent to which (1) American governors actually exercised their veto prerogative; and (2) such actions were subsequently overridden by their legislatures. If our 1973 data are reflective of the more contemporary scene, we would expect gubernatorial veto use to be somewhat higher and override frequency to remain at the vanishing point compared to the mid 1940s, especially in light of the fact that the formal veto powers of governors have generally been strengthened during the past two decades.3 The second, and