CHAPTER Sixteen
Federal, State, and Local Government

Exercises

What's going on in the states?


One way to grasp the dynamics of state politics is to see what governors are planning for their states and whether they have delivered what they have promised. The Pew Research Center 's Stateline.org web page provides all State of the State addresses by governors since 2000.

    1. Use the link provided to go to your state's State of the State addresses. Have you heard much about the topics raised in your governor's most recent address?
    2. Visit some other states' State of the State addresses. Is the tone of the addresses similar?
      • What issues are being dealt with in different states?
      • What issues come up for all governors?
    3. Click on the most recent State of the State address for a particular state.
    • Use the search function to see how frequently the word "tax" was used during the address. Go to another state and search on its most recent State of the State address to see how frequently "tax" was used during the address.
    • Using the same states or a group of new states, search for other words to see how frequently they pop up. Use the word "education" to search as well. Obviously with education playing such a key role in state politics, all or nearly all addresses should contain many mentions of it.
    • The text also discussed the competition among states to attract citizens and businesses. One of the sales pitches states use to attract or retain citizens is the provision of services that improve citizens' quality of life. Search different addresses for the phrase "quality of life."

What constitutes a state constitution?

As the text illustrates, numerous similarities exist among state constitutions nationally. The FindLaw State Constitutions web site provides access to every state's constitution. Constitutions typically are similar in laying out separation of powers, election procedures, and specific rights protected by the state. See if you can follow these different patterns among different states' constitutions. One of the key distinctions among state constitutions raised in the text deals with the length of constitutions.

    1. Go to Rhode Island's constitution and study its structure, but also take note of its simplicity. Compare the short length with the very long Alabama constitution. Does it look like the Alabama constitution contains some super legislation? How many amendments are there?
    • More than just length, some of these longer constitutions in southern states tend to have elements that probably are either no longer important or would be much more controversial today. For example, read this section from Article 19 of the Arkansas constitution that disqualifies atheists and those who have participated in duels from holding office or testifying as a witness. Similar types of limitations exist in Article XVII of the South Carolina constitution against duelers or those who do not believe in a supreme being.
    • Other states have specific measures that deal with aspects of their state that may be of particular importance economically, geographically, or culturally. For instance, Michigan has special constitutional procedures that discuss the building of dams and bridges on waterways. Others make sense based on state characteristics, or may be somewhat comical to the outsider.
      • Arizona, a state bordering Mexico and often concerned about immigration issues, has an English as the official language section of its constitution ( Article 28, Sections 1-4 ). Why would this be the case?
      • Because of the economic importance of livestock in western states, it should not be a surprise that Article XVI, Section 1 of the Idaho constitution is devoted to developing laws to protect livestock from disease, which may include quarantine or other regulations deemed necessary.
      • The cultural importance of hunting, fishing and trapping to Louisiana means the state has protected the freedom to do all three in Article I, Section 27 of its constitution.
      • Finally, in Article X, Section 21 of the Florida constitution, pigs are protected by limiting cruel and inhumane confinement of pigs during pregnancy.

How direct is democracy in many states?

Some states have direct democratic reforms in place; others do not. How can you find out which states allow initiatives or referenda? The Initiative and Referendum Institute at the University of Southern California provides in-depth analyses of each type of direct democratic process available in each state. Also, by clicking on a particular state, you can read the background on why initiatives or referenda are or are not present in that state.

What future referenda or initiatives are being considered in different states? The Ballot Initiative Strategy Center (advocates for initiatives) provides information on initiative and referenda in your state. In particular, by clicking on a state, you can learn about recent as well as upcoming initiatives or referenda.

The partisan make-up of state governments

The National Conference of State Legislatures' (NCSL) Party Control of State Legislatures web page provides the breakdown of party control of the legislatures in each state. Republicans hold a slight edge, with twenty states having a Republican-held state legislature. The NCSL's report on Republican and Democratic Share of Legislative Seats, 1938-2003 demonstrates that the number of state legislatures controlled by the Republicans has grown over time.

    1. How about governors? Which party controls the most states' executives? The NCSL also maps out the party of state governors. Do these roughly match up to the party control of state legislatures?
    2. Interestingly, however, no party is associated with each of the current governors listed by the National Governors Association (NGA). Why would this be the case? According to its mission statement, this group tries to speak with one voice on national policy. Indeed, the NGA's policy position on State Grants Program Policy demonstrates that governors stick together when dealing with the state government. Notice the use of "broad and flexible authority to meet the goals of the programs," which sounds like a description of block grants.