Plural Executive System

The plural executive system in Texas, and the cabinet system most other states use are very different in the way its executive systems work. The separation of power being the most identified critical point in between both of these systems.

Plural executive system creates a system that disperses executive power across multiple independently elected offices, therefore it breaks the executive branch of government up and it prevents power over the executive branch from concentrating in any one specific office. Under the plural executive system, some people believe you get a constitutional check and balance that protects any one of the branches of having too much power. This way of doing business through checks and balances, is called a separation of powers.

A plural executive type of government is also known as a multilevel executive, a governmental system that is made up of independently elected executive branch offices which results in very weak chief of executive. This system in Texas makes the

Governor weak, because it’s made up of elected officials which are accountable for the executive branch of the government. Cabinet members unlike the elected officials within the plural executive system are appointed from the head and voted in among the sitting members of the legislature. Instead of dispersing power among multiple independently elected offices these appointees serve as the chief of one segment of the executive branch of the government and its respective bureaucracy to whom all other public servants and employees in that department report to them. These appointed officials are called “Government Council”.

Under the plural executive type of executive structure, the Governor only has one appointive position which is the Secretary of State.

Operating under a cabinet system, the officials are appointed by the head of government, then confirmed by legislature, therefore they are strongly subordinate to the head of government because he can replace them at any time and usually they are party members of the head. They work for the cause of the same agenda. Cabinet members unlike the elected officials within the plural executive system are appointed from among the sitting members of the legislature. In the plural executive system, the elected offices within this structure of government do not answer to the Governor so the elected offices in this type of system do not work for the Governor, and they all have so many different agendas, its often they disagree on administrative issues, or have conflict of opinions making the government stagnated in handling its legislative

business.
These two executive structure’s both have its good qualities and their bad, it’s all about the perception of the people and the States. I agree with some of the views on both sides, the executive structure gives you more of a balance within the government but can be profoundly more of a struggle to get things done within government, which can cause serious stagnation. On the other hand, the Cabinet system gives the head more of an upper hand in getting his agenda handled, and this stops a lot of the lag time within a governmental body.