a formal member of the body. In 1871 Governor William Woods Holden was impeached and removed from office. Holden was the first governor in the United States to ever be removed in such a fashion and is the only North Carolina governor to ever be impeached. Constitutional and legislative enhancements In 1925 the Executive Budget Act was passed, designating the governor as the director of the state budget. During the tenure of Governor O. Max Gardner from 1929 to 1933, various reforms led to the centralization of governmental services and the creation of additional appointive offices, thus increasing the authority and importance of the governorship. The new constitution of 1971 stipulated that "The executive power of the State shall be invested in the Governor", making the official unambiguously the chief executive of the state. The constitution also affirmed the governor's role as the director of the state budget and made them a formal ex officio member of the Council of State. Until an amendment was added to the state constitution in 1977, North Carolina governors could only serve a single four-year term and could not run for re-election. This amendment strengthened the political authority of the office. Following a 1995 referendum resulting in a constitutional amendment, in 1996 the governor was granted veto power over legislation, becoming the last governor in the country to be given this power. Mike Easley became the first North Carolina governor to veto legislation after rejecting a bill in 2002. While institutional enhancements increased the formal power of the governorship over the course of the 20th century, this was counteracted by a corresponding rise in the legislature's growing willingness to assert its separate desires in state policy. In 2016 the General Assembly significantly curtailed the number of appointments which could be made by the governor. The incumbent governor is Roy Cooper, a Democrat who assumed office on January 1, 2017. He is the 75th person to hold the office. Election As with other state officials, only qualified voters in North Carolina are eligible to be elected governor. Unlike most other candidates, who must be at least 21 years of age, any potential governor must be at least 30 years of age. They must also have been a citizen of the United States for at least five years and a resident of North Carolina for at least two years preceding election. The governor is elected in