Chapter 11 Flashcards
A written plan which sets up a form of government and establishes its basic governing principles.
Constitution
The state’s fundamental law that, unlike the U.S. Constitution, is lengthy, often amended, and specific in scope; its divisions are Preamble, Bill of rights, Descriptions of state and local governments, General provisions, and Provisions for change.
State constitution
The oldest written constitution now in force anywhere in the world.
Massachusetts constitution
A major change in a state constitution, most traditionally accomplished by a constitutional convention.
Revision
A minor change in a state constitution, proposed by the following three methods: convention proposal (seldom used today), legislative proposal (most commonly used), and initiative proposal.
Amendment
The process whereby citizens may enact their own laws or constitutional amendments by placing them on the ballot for acceptance or rejection by the voters.
Initiative
An election in which the voters of the state approve or reject a proposed amendment or act of legislation.
Referendum
One of the most important functions of state government.
Law enforcement
An official residence which most states provide for their governors.
Governor’s mansion
The process through which the legislature removes the governor.
Impeachment
The process by which voters of a state may remove an official from office by election before his term has expired.
Recall
A position or role held by virtue of holding another office, rather than by election or appointment.
Ex officio
Orders from a governor that dictate how a law should be carried out.
Executive orders
The power governors possess to veto part of a bill without vetoing the entire bill.
Item veto
The powers held by state governors to pardon an offender, to grant a reprieve, to commute a sentence, and to parole a prisoner.
Clemency powers
The second-highest executive officer of a state, who assumes gubernatorial duties if the governor is absent or unable to serve.
Lieutenant governor
The official responsible for overseeing elections, maintaining state records, and handling official government documents.
Secretary of state
The chief legal officer and chief prosecutor of the state, responsible for representing the state in legal matters and enforcing state laws.
Attorney general
The state official responsible for managing public funds, investments, and financial policies.
Treasurer
The official responsible for overseeing state finances, ensuring accountability, and auditing government expenditures.
Auditor (comptroller)
The chief education officer of the state, responsible for overseeing public school systems and implementing education policies.
Superintendent of public instruction (commissioner of education)
Name the only state with a unicameral state legislature.
Nebraska
In what historic case did the Supreme Court rule that federal courts could have jurisdiction in cases involving state apportionment, opening the door for federal court regulation of state apportionment?
Baker v. Carr
The most notable case from a series of cases in which the Supreme Court ruled that apportionment of both houses of state legislatures must be based upon population.
Reynolds v. Sims
A preliminary election in which voters directly select candidates who will run in the general election, rather than having them chosen by party leaders.
Direct primary
The power to propose constitutional amendments that state legislatures have.
Constituent power
The presiding officer of the lower house of the state legislature, responsible for leading legislative sessions, appointing committee members, and managing legislative procedures.
Speaker
Typically the lieutenant governor, this official presides over the state senate, casting tie-breaking votes and overseeing legislative sessions.
President of the senate
A senior senator chosen to preside over the senate in the absence of the president of the senate.
President pro tempore
An official responsible for maintaining order in the legislative chamber and ensuring security.
Sergeant at arms
An officer who controls access to the legislative chamber and assists in maintaining decorum.
Doorkeeper
A young assistant who performs administrative tasks such as delivering messages and documents within the legislature.
Page
A legislative structure where proposed bills are first reviewed, analyzed, and amended by specialized committees before reaching the full chamber for debate.
Committee system
A committee composed of members from both the state senate and the lower house, established to streamline the legislative process; often keeps the two houses from finding themselves at odds with one another.
Joint committee
The fastest voting method most often used in state legislatures.
Voice vote
A voting procedure where legislators physically stand to indicate their vote, used when a voice vote is unclear.
Standing vote
A voting process where legislators pass by tellers who record their votes.
Teller vote
Which method of voting will permanently record the legislator’s vote?
Roll-call vote
An act of the legislature that must be referred to the voters for approval or rejection.
Mandatory referendum
What courts, dating back to medieval England, are at the bottom of the state court system?
Justice of the peace courts`
What kind of special courts help people collect small sums of money allegedly due them?
Special small claims courts
Who acts as police officer of the court?
Bailiff
What percentage of all court cases are heard in state courts?
90%
Officer of a general trial court who keeps the court’s records.
Court clerk
Courts of record that are the second level of the state court system; have broad jurisdiction and deal with both criminal and civil cases.
General trial courts
(Circuit) courts of appeal, the third level of courts, whose general purpose is to ease the case load of a state’s highest court.
Intermediate appellate courts
The top of a state’s judicial system; the court of last resort, the highest court to which a case can be appealed.
State supreme court
A group of people selected to ascertain the truth on the basis of evidence presented to them.
Jury
Aids the judicial process by testifying under oath about what he has seen and heard in regard to a particular case.
Witness
The largest unit of local government in most states; developed most fully in the southern colonies..
County (parishes, boroughs)
The city in which a county government has its headquarters.
County seat
A popularly elected governing body of a county.
County board
The most common type of a county administrative board; it usually consists of 3 to 7 elected members who usually hold no other public offices.
Board of commissioners
A type of county administrative board; it usually consists of 12 to 50 members who generally hold a township office as well.
Board of supervisors
Who, with the aid of other law enforcement officers, provides police protection for rural areas?
Sheriff
What official appraises taxable property within the county?
County assessor
What official receives taxes and fees, acts as the caretaker of county funds, and makes authorized payments from the county treasury?
Treasurer
What official supervises the county’s financial records and authorizes the spending of county funds?
Auditor
The recorder who maintains county records and issues various kinds of licenses.
Clerk
Official who conducts criminal investigations and prosecutes cases tried in local courts.
Prosecuting attorney (district attorney, state’s attorney)
Official who investigates the cause of death when people have died under known or unusual circumstances.
Coroner
Official who heads the administration of all or some of the public elementary and secondary schools in the county.
Superintendent of schools
The elected chief executive of a county.
County president (county supervisor)
An appointed official who carries out the executive duties of the county.
County manager
The most important unit of local government in New England.
Town
A periodic assembly of local citizens acting as the chief lawmaking body for their town; a form of direct democracy practiced in many New England towns.
Town meeting
The form of local self-government developed in the Midwest; a division of a county; its functions are primarily rural.
Township
A popularly elected board who handles administrative matters between town meetings.
Selectmen
Smaller municipalities. Larger municipalities?
Towns (villages, boroughs); cities
Describes a municipality that has been designated as a legal governmental organization with certain rights and responsibilities.
Incorporated
A legal document granted by the state which outlines a form of government for the city.
City charter
The oldest and most widely used form of city government in which members of the city council are popularly elected, often at-large, but sometimes by wards (or districts).
Mayor-council form
A form of municipal government in which popularly elected commissioners head the city government.
Commission form
A modification of the mayor-council form that tends to be the most common in cities with populations between 10,000 and 500,000.
Council-manager form
The process of dividing a city into numerous zones and regulating the use of the property in each zone.
Zoning
A planning agency that most cities have for future expansion and development.
Planning commission
The developed areas outside of a city’s limits.
Suburbs
If a city has sanitation or fire jurisdiction over an area not officially in its boundaries, what kind of powers is the city exercising?
Extraterritorial powers
A major city and the populated area surrounding it, which may include smaller towns.
Metropolitan area
An independent, local government entity created to perform a specific function—such as water supply, fire protection, or transportation—operating separately from municipalities or counties.
Special districts
The single most important source of revenue among the states today; a tax on the purchase of goods and services; a regressive tax.
Sales tax
A direct tax upon a person’s earnings.
Income tax
A tax levied against a person’s inherited share of an estate.
Inheritance tax
A tax many states levy when one gives a large gift of money or property to another person.
Gift tax
The chief source of income for local governments; a direct tax on real property—includes land, buildings, and improvements on the land—or personal property, which includes personal possessions.
Property tax
The act of determining property value for tax purposes.
Assessment
A levy imposed by local, state, or federal governments on the income, revenue, or operations of a business, including corporate income taxes, payroll taxes, and licensing fees.
Business taxes
A tax imposed on the extraction of nonrenewable natural resources, such as oil, gas, or minerals, to compensate the government for the depletion of public resources.
Severance tax
One source of non-tax revenue that has increased noticeably in recent years; charged by special government districts for such services as water and utilities.
Fees
