Under the state Constitution, if a vacancy occurs in the Office of the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor fulfills the duties of the office.  If, during the first two years of a Governor's term, the office is vacated more than thirty days before the next scheduled general election, the state Constitution mandates that an election to fill that vacancy occur at the general election.

Under statute, only certain matters may appear on a statewide general election ballot in odd-numbered years:

• election of municipal officers;
• election to fill the remainder of an unexpired term in the United States Senate or House of Representatives;
• election to fill the remainder of an unexpired term in the state legislature, the offices of Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Auditor, Attorney General, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Commissioner of Public Lands, Supreme Court justice, Court of Appeals judge, or Superior Court judge;
• election of county officers in charter counties, if applicable; and
• state constitutional amendments, initiatives and referenda.

Elections to fill a vacancy in the Office of the Governor or the Office of the Insurance Commissioner may appear on the ballot in an odd-numbered year.