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The New Face of State and The New Face of State and Local GovernmentLocal Government
Chapter 21
Government in America: People, Politics, and PolicyThirteenth Edition, and Texas Edition
Edwards/Wattenberg/Lineberry
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IntroductionIntroduction
Subnational Governments:– State and local governments have been
characterized by revitalization and diversity since the 1960’s.
– States have become more active players in policymaking.
– States still remain diverse in their populations and policies.
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State ConstitutionsState Constitutions
In General– Each state has its own unique constitution.– They are subordinate to the U.S. Constitution.– State constitutions have more detail about
specific policies.– Specific interests work to protect their issues in
the constitutions since it is harder to amend them.
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State ConstitutionsState Constitutions
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State ConstitutionsState Constitutions
Amending State Constitutions– Few states rewrite their constitutions.– States often use the “cut and paste” method of
changing their constitutions by only updating a few sections of the document at a time.
– In general, a state’s legislature proposes a constitutional amendment and then it is put to a vote in an election.
– Some states allow citizen initiatives.
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State ElectionsState Elections
Gubernatorial Elections– Elections are becoming more centered on the
candidates, like presidential elections. May lead to divided government at state level
– Today, elections are generally held in even numbered, non-presidential election years so the governor is the main candidate.
– The elections are expensive and candidates raise most of the money themselves.
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State ElectionsState Elections
State Legislative Elections– State legislators have the smallest
constituencies, yet are the least well known.– State districts had to be redrawn after Baker v.
Carr (1962) specified “one person, one vote” in state elections.
– Campaigns are getting more expensive and more candidate centered.
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State ElectionsState Elections
State Legislative Elections– Partisan Competition, Legislative Turnovers,
and Term Limits Partisan competition is close in most states, often
resulting in divided government. There is generally high turnover in state legislatures
which some think leads to new policy ideas. Some states have decided to “force” turnover by
using terms limits.
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State ElectionsState Elections
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State ElectionsState Elections
The Changing Face of State Elected Officials– The old rule of white, male elected leaders is
going away as women and minorities are elected as governors and legislators.
8 female state governors in 2006
– Progress has been slow in recent years in part because of women running for federal offices.
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State ElectionsState Elections
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Governors and theGovernors and theExecutive BranchExecutive Branch
The Job of Governor– Expected to fulfill many duties, some formal, some not– There is a wide diversity in the amount of formal
powers each governor has.– 42 governors have a line-item vet—veto only parts of a
bill– Today’s governors use “personal powers” to help
accomplish their policy goals. Public support, character, and leadership style
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Governors and theGovernors and theExecutive BranchExecutive Branch
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Governors and theGovernors and theExecutive BranchExecutive Branch
Other Executive Officers– Many other state executives are elected separately from
the governor.– Major state executives include:
Lieutenant Governor—second-highest executive official in state governments
Attorney General—state’s legal counsel Treasurer—manager of state’s bank accounts Secretary of State—in charge of elections and record-keeping Auditor—financial comptroller
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State LegislaturesState Legislatures
General Information:– Generally operate like Congress– Have become more professional:
longer sessions—43 state legislatures have annual sessions
higher salaries more staff
– But others argue that it takes away from the “citizen legislature” favored by many
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State LegislaturesState Legislatures
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State Court SystemsState Court Systems
State Court Organization– Many state court systems are confusing with
many specialized courts.– There have been efforts to consolidate the
number and type of courts.– Many states have established intermediate
courts of appeal to take some of the workload off the state’s supreme court.
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State Court SystemsState Court Systems
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State Court SystemsState Court Systems
Selecting Judges– States use a variety of methods in choosing
judges. Election (both partisan and non partisan) Appointment (mostly with confirmation)
– Relatively new method is the merit plan Governor appoints one of several screened judges. After a term, judge faces the voters in a retention
election—17 states use this
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State Court SystemsState Court Systems
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Direct DemocracyDirect Democracy
Direct democracy: government controlled directly by the citizens
Methods of citizen control of the Government:– Initiative: proposed changes to laws be put on the ballot
if enough signatures are collected– Referendum: voters approve or disapprove state
legislation– Recall: voters may vote someone out of office
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Direct DemocracyDirect Democracy
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State and Local Government State and Local Government RelationsRelations
Interrelationship between states and local governments is not as clearly defined as that between federal and state governments– Dillon’s Rule: Local governments have only
those powers and duties explicitly given to them by the state.
– Some states allow home rule where a local government adopts a charter (like a constitution) to govern its activities.
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Local GovernmentsLocal Governments
Types of Local Government– Counties– Townships– Municipalities
Town meeting: form of direct democracy where citizens gather once a year to make policy; rarely used
Mayor-Council Council-Manager (city manager): an official appointed by the city
council who is responsible for implementing and administering the council’s actions
Commission– School Districts– Special Districts
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Local GovernmentsLocal Governments
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Local GovernmentsLocal Governments Mayor-Council Government (Figure 21.6)
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Local GovernmentsLocal Governments Council-Manager Government (Figure 21.7)
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Local GovernmentsLocal Governments
Fragmentation, Cooperation, and Competition– Not much cooperation among local governments in a
state to solve problems– Regional governments are able to coordinate some
activities in some areas.– Differences in opinion on needs and competition make
cooperation difficult.– Council of Governments (COGs) can coordinate some
activities as well.
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State and Local Finance State and Local Finance PolicyPolicy
State Government Revenues and Expenditures
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Understanding State and Understanding State and Local GovernmentsLocal Governments
Democracy at the Subnational Level– States have been willing to let local
governments handle local problems and operate very openly.
– There are problems with lack of voter participation and coordination among local governments as well as competition for economic development.
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Understanding State and Understanding State and Local GovernmentsLocal Governments
The Scope of Subnational Government– State and local governments are growing faster
than the national government.– Some states have sunset legislation that calls
for the reviewing of agencies to see if their programs are still needed.
– Some local governments are better able at policymaking than their states and have taken the lead in solving problems.
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SummarySummary
State and local government are responsible for policies with which we are most familiar—policy, education, trash collection.
State governments are similar to, but vastly different from federal government.
Local governments are established by states to handle truly local policy issues.