E

The U.S.Constitution reserves to the states all the powers which are not specifically delegated to the federal government.Within the sphere of its jurisdiction，the power of the state government is generally supreme.Many of the day⁃to⁃day affairs that affect peoples’lives are run by the states，including education，public safety and transportation.

Each of the 50 states has its own constitution which is the highest law of the state.However，the state constitution can not conflict with the U.S.Constitution.All 50 state governments have three branches，similar to the federal government，but none of the state governments are exactly the same.

The legislative branch of the state government is usually called the Legislature.Like the Congress of the United States，state legislatures are often divided into a Senate and a House of Representatives.Legislatures make laws for their states in similar ways as Congress does for the nation.Some states’constitutions also include an“initiative”process，under which a group of citizens can submit to the government a petition to place a proposal for a new law on the voter ballot in a future election.The government must grant the request as long as there are enough signatures on the petition.If the majority of the voters in the state vote in favor of the proposal，then it becomes law.

The executive branch is led by the governor，who is the highest⁃ranking public official in the state.The formation of the state executive branch varies from state to state.Many U.S.presidents have been former state governors，in large part because voters have recognized their experience in running a government at the state level.

Judicial power is vested in the state courts，which have jurisdiction over all cases rising under state law.Each of the 50 states has its own judicial system，and none of them are exactly the same.However，most of them have a three tier system.At the lowest level are the trial courts which are often known as district courts or county and municipal courts.Cases are often decided by one judge without a jury.In America，most of the cases brought by people are heard in these courts.

Above these courts are the superior courts which have general jurisdiction and focus on more serious cases.They also hear appeals from the lower trial courts.At the top，each state has a supreme court，although some states call it different names.The state supreme court is the highest authority within the state as regards the interpretation of its laws，and its decisions are binding on all courts in the state.However，people who believe that a state supreme court decision violates the U.S.Constitution may challenge that decision in federal court.The states have different ways to choose their judges.In most states，all the judges are elected.In some states，some judges are appointed and some are elected.In others，all judges are appointed.

The differences between various state governments’laws and policies can lead to problems，for example when large companies must follow different laws for each state in which they do business.There have been some efforts to address this by getting states to adopt identical laws，known as“uniform acts”，but with limited success.Despite the problems，the diversity among state governments also enables them to serve as“laboratories of democracy，”meaning that they may individually experiment with new laws and policies，which，if successful，may later be adopted by other state governments and the federal government.

Within states，local governments oversee the affairs of smaller geographical units such as counties（Counties are the main units of local government in most states.），cities and towns.Local governments are created by state governments，or by local people with the approval of the state，and vary greatly in power，size and organization.Local governments perform many functions which directly affect people’s lives;for example，these may include judicial administration，public safety，waste disposal，public health，water supply and library services.

Counties are usually governed by a county board，which is a small assembly of elected officials that typically serves as the local legislature and executive.The county board sometimes shares its power with a number of other elected officials，such as the sheriff，the county prosecutor，the county clerks，the coroner and the auditor.The day to day work of the county government is done by the county clerks who are the administrative officers.

Another important form of local government is city and town governments.Cities are usually municipalities（meaning an urban area that is legally recognized by the state government）and many towns are also municipalities.Most cities have an elected mayor as their government’s chief executive，along with an elected city council（legislature）.The powers of the mayor vary widely from city to city.