Auditor elections, 2016
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Eight states held elections for auditor on November 8, 2016.
Partisan analysis[edit]
The following table contains the partisan breakdown of executive auditors in the country prior to the 2016 elections:
| Office |  Democratic
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 Republican
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 Nonpartisan
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Total seats | |
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| Auditor | 9 | 14 | 10* | 33 | |
| *West Virginia had a nonpartisan interim auditor, who was appointed on a nonpartisan basis after longtime Democratic Auditor Glen Gainer resigned. | |||||
The partisan breakdown of auditors remained largely unchanged after the 2014 elections, with Republicans gaining only one seat previously held by a Democrat. Heading into the 2016 elections, Democrats held nine executive auditor seats and Republicans held 14 executive auditor seats. Ten of the executive auditor seats were held by nonpartisan appointees. Of the eight seats up for election in 2016, six were held by Democrats. This created a partisan risk in that a disproportionate number of seats held by Democrats were being challenged compared to the actual partisan balance. Democrats therefore entered the November 2016 elections in a position of greater relative risk than Republicans.
Partisan strongholds and political dynasties[edit]
In some states, the office of auditor is held by one political party for generations, often making these elections very uncompetitive. In a few cases, the office of auditor actually stays within the same family for decades. In 2016, family control of two auditor seats ended, leaving the offices open for the first time in years.
In North Dakota, Republican Robert Peterson had held the office of auditor since 1997, winning election each time by a wide margin. Prior to Peterson's 20-year tenure, his father (also named Robert Peterson), served as auditor from 1973 to 1997.[1][2] In 2016, Peterson decided to retire, leaving the office open to someone outside the Peterson family for the first time in 44 years. The Republican Party's unbroken control of the auditor's office goes back even further, to 1894. In 2016, no Democrats filed to run for auditor in North Dakota, ensuring that the seat would stay in Republican hands.
In West Virginia, Democrat Glen Gainer held the office of auditor from 1993 to 2016, when he resigned to take a position in the private sector. Gainer had succeeded his father (also named Glen Gainer) as auditor after the elder Gainer had served from 1977 to 1993. Gainer's cousin, Denzil Gainer, also served as state auditor from 1961 to 1973, meaning that the auditor's office had remained in the same family's hands for over 50 years.[3] In 2016, Gainer retired in order to pursue a career in the private sector, leaving the office open to someone outside the Gainer family. A strong, well-funded Republican candidate, combined with Republican success in other elections in West Virginia, also left the possibility for Democrats to lose the office to a Republican for the first time since 1928. Indeed, Republican state Rep. John B. McCuskey (R) won the November 8, 2016, general election.
Influence of voter turnout[edit]
Auditor elections across the country coincided with what was a highly competitive presidential election, which drives up voter turnout down the ballot.[4] This increased turnout during presidential election years can significantly affect the partisan balance of state governments. In particular, offices elected during mid-presidential term elections disadvantage the party of the current president, a trend that has remained relatively constant since the Civil War. Presidential election years see aggregate gains for the party of the winning presidential candidate.[5][4]
Fifteen states held auditor elections in 2014, equal to 63 percent of the 24 states in which it is an elected position. That same year, voter turnout was the lowest recorded since 1942.[6] Indeed, voter turnout had been dropping during mid-presidential term elections since the 1840s.[5] This means a large majority of publicly elected auditors are elected during these midterm cycles that see significantly lower turnout.
2016 elections[edit]
Eight states held auditor elections in 2016. Browse candidates, key deadlines, and results by state:
Montana[edit]
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North Carolina[edit]
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North Dakota[edit]
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Pennsylvania[edit]
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Utah[edit]
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Vermont[edit]
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Washington[edit]
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West Virginia[edit]
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About the office[edit]
The auditor is a state-level position in 48 states that supervises and has administrative rights over the accounting and financial functions of the state. Additionally, auditors act as watchdogs over other state agencies, performing internal government audits and investigating fraud allegations.
The state auditor belongs to either the executive or legislative branch, depending on state. While both offices are similar in function, a legislative auditor functions primarily under the state legislature and is not considered a state executive office.
The auditor may be elected or appointed, depending on the state. Terms of office range from four to 10 years and may be indefinite, served at the pleasure of the appointing body. In instances where the auditor is an appointee, appointment is usually done through some form of nomination in a subcommittee of the legislature and a confirmatory vote before the General Assembly.
Among appointed auditors, it is common for a dedicated legislative committee to nominate an auditor, who is then confirmed by a simple majority vote of both legislative chambers. Many appointed auditors serve at the pleasure of the legislature or a specific committee charged with audits. In these states, an auditor may be removed with either a simple majority or a three-fifths vote at any time.
Appointed auditors serve as nonpartisan officials, with the exception of Connecticut, where Democrats and Republicans each have one nomination, resulting in two partisan auditors who share the office.
In each of the 24 states where the auditor is elected, it is a partisan position.
Elected auditors are overwhelmingly constitutional offices, with 20 of 24 states providing for the office in the state's constitution.
Some states assign the same portfolio to another state level financial officer, such as the treasurer or the comptroller.
There are a total of 23 legislative auditor offices and 33 state executive auditor offices. A total of eight states have both auditor offices.
| Quick facts about Auditors |
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Elected or appointed[edit]
While most states that do have a statewide governmental auditor position authorize the governor to appoint an individual to the office, there are at least 24 others who have opted to have public voters select these officeholders. These states include: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Two states—New York and Tennessee—do not have an official auditor. Audit functions in these states mostly fall to the state comptroller.
States[edit]
States with legislative auditors include: Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • Colorado • Connecticut • Florida • Idaho • Kansas • Louisiana • Maryland • Minnesota • Montana • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Virginia • West Virginia • Wisconsin
States with state executive auditors include:
Alabama • Arkansas • California • Delaware • Georgia • Hawaii • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kentucky • Maine • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • New Mexico • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • South Carolina • South Dakota • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Washington • West Virginia • Wyoming - state auditor • Wyoming - audit director
States with both legislative and state executive auditors:
Alabama • Arkansas • Minnesota • Montana • Pennsylvania • South Carolina • South Dakota • West Virginia
Past elections[edit]
2015[edit]
- See also: State executive official elections, 2015
Two states held elections for auditor in 2015: Kentucky and Mississippi.
To view the full electoral history for auditors, click [show] to expand the full section. | |||
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Recent news[edit]
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'State auditor election' OR 'State auditor elections' 2016. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also[edit]
External links[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ Wikipedia, "Robert W. Peterson," accessed Sept. 23, 2016
- ↑ Wikipedia, "North Dakota State Auditor," accessed Sept. 23, 2016
- ↑ Metro News, "Auditor Glen Gainer will not seek re-election," December 7, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Campbell, J. E. (1987) "The revised theory of surge and decline." American Journal of Political Science, 965-979.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Pew Research Center, “Voter turnout always drops off for midterm elections, but why?” July 24, 2014
- ↑ TIME, "Voter Turnout in Midterm Elections Hits 72-Year Low," November 10, 2014
- ↑ Elect Pat McCarthy State Auditor, "About," accessed July 15, 2016
- ↑ Jeff Sprung, "Meet Jeff," accessed July 15, 2016
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