In Fifty States
As the U.S. Congress meets in Washington, D.C., state legislatures convene in each of the 50 state capitals to discuss state issues and make laws that apply to citizens within their own borders. Like the Congress, 49 of the states have two-house legislatures, composed predominantly of members of the two major political parties, Republican and Democratic. Only the state of Nebraska maintains a one house legislature and all its members are officially labeled as Independents.
A total of 7,382 Americans serve in state legislatures, elected by their fellow citizens for term lengths prescribed in state constitutions. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), the average age of state lawmakers is 56, with 61 percent between the ages of 30 and 60; nationally, 22.6 percent of them are women.
Until the 1960s, state legislatures generally met every other year for a limited number of days. Individual legislators were poorly paid and had little or no staff support. Today, however, 45 states hold annual legislative sessions, and many have increased legislative pay and added professional staff support. Still, the amount of time a legislator needs to fulfill his or her job varies greatly from state to state.
In large, industrialized states such as California, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania, for example, being a state legislator is a full-time job. In small or less populated states such as Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming, the work of a state legislator occupies about 50 percent of his or her time. The other 40 states fall somewhere in between.
Each of the 50 U.S. states is divided into any number of local jurisdictions, which include counties, cities, and towns. A county may encompass a number of communities that have different names, while a city or town encompasses an area that has one distinct name. The administration of government varies from county to county and city to city, but the mission of all local governments is the same: to provide essential, everyday services that ensure the well-being of their citizens.
To get an idea of the diversity of local government, consider these facts about county government: There are 3,066 counties in the United States, ranging in area from Arlington County, Virginia, with 67 square kilometers (25.9 square miles), to North Slope Borough, Alaska, with 228,439 square kilometers (87,861 square miles). Population varies from Loving County, Texas, with 140 residents, to Los Angeles County, California, with 9.2 million.
In general, local governments perform functions that are delegated by their state governments. County governments are responsible for managing the mechanics of elections. They register new voters, mail election information to voters, select voting devices, establish polling sites, recruit poll workers, and count and certify ballots on Election Day. Local governments also perform traditional functions, such as assessing property values for tax purposes, keeping records of property transactions, and maintaining vital statistics such as births, marriages, and deaths.
Perhaps most importantly, local governments provide services that affect citizens’ daily routines. Local authorities ensure that the water piped into their homes is safe, that trash is picked up from their neighborhoods, that public schools are accessible to all children, and that the roads are paved.
When unusual, and possibly dangerous, circumstances arise, local government is there too, with police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel protecting and aiding citizens. Clearly, the work of local government is closest to people’s everyday lives.
The responsibilities of local government include administering public schools, providing emergency services, and managing election procedures. Above, clockwise from lower left: Students in Texas walk to school buses to take them home after class; a Fair view Township firefighter battles a brush fire in Pennsylvania; a large sign marks a polling place in Little Rock, Arkansas.