Editing Kentucky (section)

===Executive branch===

[[File:KY Governors Mansion.png|thumb|upright=1.25|The governor's mansion in [[Frankfort, Kentucky|Frankfort]]]]

The executive branch is headed by the [[Governor of Kentucky|governor]], who serves as both [[head of state]] and [[head of government]]. The [[Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky|lieutenant governor]] may or may not have executive authority depending on whether the person is a member of the Governor's [[Cabinet (government)|cabinet]]. Under the current [[Kentucky Constitution]], the lieutenant governor assumes the duties of the governor only if the governor is incapacitated. (Before 1992 the lieutenant governor assumed power any time the governor was out of the state.) The governor and lieutenant governor usually run on a single ticket (also per a 1992 constitutional amendment) and are elected to four-year terms. The current governor is [[Andy Beshear]], and the lieutenant governor is [[Jacqueline Coleman]]. Both are [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/357f0e6196414923acee9ee7aebdf8b8|title=Beshear set for 'next chapter' as Bevin concedes in Kentucky|date=November 14, 2019|website=AP NEWS|access-date=November 19, 2019|archive-date=November 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191117002146/https://apnews.com/357f0e6196414923acee9ee7aebdf8b8|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/matt-bevin-concedes-defeat-in-kentucky-governors-race/2019/11/14/42fc0ea7-2d26-4f87-9856-07f6c701ad7b_video.html|title=Matt Bevin concedes defeat in Kentucky governor's race|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=November 19, 2019|archive-date=November 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191115232142/https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/matt-bevin-concedes-defeat-in-kentucky-governors-race/2019/11/14/42fc0ea7-2d26-4f87-9856-07f6c701ad7b_video.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The executive branch is organized into the following "cabinets", each headed by a secretary who is also a member of the governor's cabinet:<ref>{{cite web|title=Organizational Charts|work=Kentucky Personnel|publisher=Kentucky Personnel Cabinet|access-date=December 23, 2020|url=https://personnel.ky.gov/Pages/OrgCharts.aspx|archive-date=January 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210101151723/https://personnel.ky.gov/Pages/OrgCharts.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>

* General Government Cabinet
* [[Kentucky Transportation Cabinet|Transportation Cabinet]]
* Cabinet for Economic Development
* Finance and Administration Cabinet
* Tourism, Arts, and Heritage Cabinet
* Education and Workforce Development Cabinet
* Cabinet for Health and Family Services
* [[Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet|Justice and Public Safety Cabinet]]
* Personnel Cabinet
* Labor Cabinet
* [[Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet|Energy and Environment Cabinet]]
* Public Protection Cabinet

The cabinet system was introduced in 1972 by Governor [[Wendell Ford]] to consolidate hundreds of government entities that reported directly to the governor's office.<ref>{{cite book|title=Kentucky Government, Politics, and Public Policy|editor1-first=James C.|editor1-last=Clinger|editor2-first=Michael W.|editor2-last=Hail|location=Lexington, Kentucky|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|date=October 8, 2013|page=70|isbn=978-0-8131-4315-6|quote=By 1972 Governor Wendell Ford found himself in a situation similar to that of Governor [[Happy Chandler|Chandler]] thirty-six years earlier. At this time the executive branch had grown to over 60 departments and agencies and 210 boards and commissions falling under the jurisdiction of the governor. Governor Ford issued a reorganization report creating six cabinet departments and a framework for an executive branch that would be more manageable and accountable. As of 2012, this has grown to eleven cabinet departments with three additional cabinet-rank members under the office of Governor [[Steve Beshear|Beshear]]. Each cabinet agency is headed by a secretary who serves at the will of the governor.}}</ref>

Other elected constitutional offices include the [[Secretary of State of Kentucky|Secretary of State]], [[Attorney General of Kentucky|Attorney General]], Auditor of Public Accounts, [[Kentucky State Treasurer|State Treasurer]] and Commissioner of Agriculture. Currently, Republican [[Michael Adams (Kentucky politician)|Michael G. Adams]] serves as the Secretary of State. The commonwealth's chief prosecutor, law enforcement officer, and law officer is the Attorney General, currently Republican [[Russell Coleman]]. The Auditor of Public Accounts is Republican [[Allison Ball]]. Republican [[Mark Metcalf (politician)|Mark Metcalf]] is the current Treasurer. Republican [[Jonathan Shell]] is the current [[Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture|Commissioner of Agriculture]].