Pearson Education, Inc., Longman © 2008 The New Face of State and Local Government Chapter 21...

Pearson Education, Inc., Longman © 2008

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


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.


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.



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.


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.



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.



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.



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.


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



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


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


State LegislaturesState Legislatures


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.



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


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


Direct DemocracyDirect Democracy


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.


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


Local GovernmentsLocal Governments Mayor-Council Government (Figure 21.6)


Local GovernmentsLocal Governments Council-Manager Government (Figure 21.7)



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.

Figure 21.8 Pearson Education, Inc., Longman © 2008

State and Local Finance State and Local Finance PolicyPolicy

State Government Revenues and Expenditures


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.


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.


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.

Pearson Education, Inc., Longman © 2008 The New Face of State and Local Government Chapter 21...

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