The Line-Item Veto and its Political Application
Start Date
April 2026
Location
2nd floor - Library
Abstract
There is already significant research on the line-item veto and its effect on state budgets. The consensus concludes that the line-item veto has a negligible effect on reducing state budgets and they indicate it may be a tool for partisan politics. This study investigates whether gubernatorial access to the line‑item veto influences electoral outcomes, specifically examining whether governors who possess this institutional power experience higher reelection retention than those who do not. Using a cross‑sectional analysis of all 50 U.S. states, the project evaluates the relationship between the line‑item veto and gubernatorial turnover rates. The dataset incorporates governors’ partisan affiliation, the partisan composition of state legislatures, the number of bills enacted in 2025, and the frequency with which governors exercised the line‑item veto.
The Line-Item Veto and its Political Application
2nd floor - Library
There is already significant research on the line-item veto and its effect on state budgets. The consensus concludes that the line-item veto has a negligible effect on reducing state budgets and they indicate it may be a tool for partisan politics. This study investigates whether gubernatorial access to the line‑item veto influences electoral outcomes, specifically examining whether governors who possess this institutional power experience higher reelection retention than those who do not. Using a cross‑sectional analysis of all 50 U.S. states, the project evaluates the relationship between the line‑item veto and gubernatorial turnover rates. The dataset incorporates governors’ partisan affiliation, the partisan composition of state legislatures, the number of bills enacted in 2025, and the frequency with which governors exercised the line‑item veto.
