Dual Mandate

A dual mandate is the practice in which elected officials serve in more than one elected or other public position simultaneously. This practice is known as double jobbing in Britain and distinguished from double dipping in the United States, which refers to being employed and collecting retirement from the same public authority at the same time.

For example, suppose a candidate wins a seat on a local authority at an election. If the same person then wins a seat in the national legislature in a separate general election, this is a dual mandate.

Dual mandates are sometimes prohibited by law. For example, in federal states, federal office holders are often not permitted to hold state office. In states with separation of powers, members, whether elected or not, of the executive, legislature, and judiciary are separate. In states with bicameral legislatures, one cannot simultaneously be a member of both houses. The holder of one office who wins election to another where a dual mandate is prohibited must either resign the former office or refuse the new one.