How does a state legislature override a governor's veto? In nearly every state, an override requires a supermajorium vote after the governor returns a bill — typically two-thirds of members elected or present in each chamber (three-fifths in a handful of states including Illinois, Delaware and Vermont for ordinary bills), and if it succeeds, the bill becomes law without the governor's signature, under each state's constitution. In 2025 sessions, governors issued well over a thousand vetoes nationwide while legislatures overturned only a small fraction — most overrides cluster in states where one party holds supermajorities in both chambers against a governor of the other party, per veto tallies compiled from state legislative records.
What are the different veto types?
The ordinary veto rejects an entire bill. Twelve governors additionally hold the line-item veto over appropriations bills, letting them strike spending items while signing the rest — a power most useful in budget negotiations and most litigated at the margins, as when courts decide whether a «item» is severable. A few states' item veto extends to «language» appropriations. The rarest form is the amendatory or reduction veto (Illinois, Massachusetts and a few others), where the governor may return a bill with suggested changes the legislature must accept or reject wholesale.
What happens after a veto message?
The legislature has options that vary sharply by state. Most chambers may attempt an override immediately if in session. If the veto lands after adjournment, the question becomes whether lawmakers return: some states reconvene in a dedicated veto session — Louisiana's is constitutional and scheduled — while others require a special session called by legislative leaders or petition. Timing deadlines differ: in some states vetoes die if not reconsidered within a set number of days; in others they carry over to the next session. The pocket veto — killing a bill by simply not signing it after session ends — exists in a minority of states and is a recurring source of litigation over what counts as «adjournment».
Which vetoes actually get overridden?
- Supermajority one-party states: Kansas, Kentucky and Ohio in recent cycles saw sustained override fights; overrides there are frequent and consequential.
- Map and election-law bills: when supermajorities clash with governors over redistricting or election administration, overrides become the decisive move, since courts are limited to legal (not political) review.
- Appropriations horse-trades: line-item restorations pass as part of negotiated override packages.
How does the politics of the override differ from Washington's?
Federal overrides are nearly extinct — the last successful congressional override of a regular veto came in 2016 over the 9/11 litigation bill — because a two-thirds vote in both chambers of a closely divided Congress is out of reach. In the states, single-party supermajorities make overrides a working tool of ordinary lawmaking. The result is an inverted balance: state governors in divided government can be legislatively weak where the constitution's override math is weak, while U.S. presidents hold a near-absolute veto.
Why watch override votes in 2026?
Because election-law and budget vetoes in 2026 sessions will land in election years, and each override vote is a recorded roll call that candidates carry into November. Procedurally, the override calendar — veto session dates, reconsideration deadlines — determines whether a governor's election-year vetoes are final or merely the opening bid.
FAQ
Which states require only three-fifths?
Illinois, Delaware and Vermont set three-fifths thresholds for ordinary bill overrides; most other states use two-thirds.
What is a pocket veto?
Taking no action on a bill after the legislature has adjourned, letting it die without a veto message — available in a minority of states and frequently litigated.
Can item vetoes be overridden too?
Yes — in most item-veto states, the legislature may restore struck items by the same supermajority as a full override.
For more context, read How a Bill Becomes a Law: The Committee Gatekeepers.
For more context, read How Congress Kills a Federal Rule in 60 Days.
For more context, read The Congressional Review Act: 60 Senate Days to Kill a Rule.