Vermont State Auditor


The auditor of accounts of Vermont, informally referred to as "the state auditor", is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Vermont. Twenty-nine individuals have occupied the office of state auditor since statehood. The incumbent is Douglas R. Hoffer, a Democrat/Progressive. He was first elected to office in 2012.

Election and term of office

The auditor of accounts is one of six constitutional officers in Vermont, elected statewide every two years. Until 1870, Vermont elected its state auditor for one-year terms. Likewise, prior to an 1883 constitutional amendment, the state auditor was chosen by a vote of the Vermont General Assembly, as was the secretary of state. Since then, these two officials have been elected statewide on a direct popular vote, alongside the governor, lieutenant governor, treasurer, and attorney general.
In the event of a vacancy, the governor is empowered to appoint a successor. Vermont statutes require the governor to solicit recommendations from the political party of the individual who held the office prior to the vacancy, but the governor is empowered to appoint any qualified individual.

Powers and duties

The mission of the Office of the Auditor of Accounts is to hold state government accountable by evaluating whether taxpayer funds are being used effectively and identifying strategies to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse. To this end, the state auditor conducts discretionary performance audits in accordance with Government Auditing Standards promulgated by the comptroller general of the United States, the head of the Government Accountability Office and the United States' supreme audit institution. These audits provide an independent and objective assessment of the program performance, internal controls, and legal compliance of Vermont's governmental operations.
Other responsibilities have been conferred on the Auditor's Office by law. For example, the state auditor contracts with private accounting firms to audit the financial statements of the state of Vermont as presented in its annual comprehensive financial report and to perform the statewide single audit of federal programs administered by state agencies and their subrecipients. Likewise, the state auditor investigates allegations of waste, fraud, and abuse of public resources reported to the Auditor's Office.

Notable former Vermont auditors

#AuditorPictureTermParty
1Elisha Clark1790–1797No party affiliation
2Seth Storrs1797–1801No party affiliation
3Benjamin Emmons Jr.1801–1807No party affiliation
4Alex Hutchinson1807–1813Democratic-Republican
5Job Lyman1813–1815No party affiliation
Alex Hutchinson1815–1817Democratic-Republican
7Willis Hall Jr.1817–1819No party affiliation
8Norman Williams1819–1823Democratic-Republican
9David Pierce1823–1829Democratic-Republican
9David Pierce1829–1835National Republican
9David Pierce1835–1839Anti-Masonic
9David Pierce1839–1845Whig
10Silas H. Hodges1845–1850Whig
11Frederick E. Woodbridge1850–1853Whig
12William M. Pingry1853–1855Free Soil
12William M. Pingry1855–1860Republican
13Jeptha Bradley1860–1864Republican
14Dugald Stewart1864–1870National Union
14Dugald Stewart1867–1870Republican
15Whitman G. Ferrin1870–1877Republican
16Jedd P. Ladd1877–1879Republican
17E. Henry Powell1879–1892Republican
18Franklin D. Hale1892–1898Republican
19Orion M. Barber1898–1902Republican
20Horace F. Graham1902–1917Republican
21Benjamin Gates1917–1941Republican
22David V. Anderson1941–1965Republican
23Jay H. Gordon1965–1969Democratic
24Robert T. King1969–1970Republican
25Alexander V. Acebo1970–1993Republican
26Edward S. Flanagan1993–2001Democratic
27Elizabeth M. Ready2001–2005Democratic
28Randy Brock2005–2007Republican
29Thomas M. Salmon2007–2009Democratic
29Thomas M. Salmon2009–2013Republican
29Doug Hoffer2013–presentDemocratic/Progressive