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Chapter 21: The New Face of State and Local Government

Get Connected

Get Connected

This activity contains 3 questions.

	State Elections When people think of elections they usually think of political candidates running for office. However, across much of the country an election could involve questions of public policy and not candidates. An initiative is an election where citizens adopt laws or amend the state constitution. A referendum is an election where citizens have the ability to reject laws or amendments passed by the legislature. Do voters in your state have these options during election time? Let's go to the Initiative and Referendum Institute to learn more about initiatives and referendums. Search Tips Go to http://www.iandrinstitute.org/ and investigate initiatives and referendums. See what options voters in your state have. Questions to Ask Does your state allow initiatives and referendums? If not, look for a nearby state that does. What kinds of questions have voters recently voted on? What are the pros and cons of the initiative and referendum in your view? Why it Matters Initiatives and referendums allow voters to directly express their feelings about public policy. While most states have provisions for initiatives and referendums, some do not. Get Involved If your state doesn't have the initiative or referendum process find out whether there is a movement to have it. If your state does have it, find out which groups are seeking questions on the next ballot.   To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

	State Legislatures The legislature is a representative body and as such, women's rights advocates have argued for years that more women should be represented. The number of women legislators has increased in the past several decades, but women's groups argue that women representatives in state legislature are still the minority by a long shot. How do you think your state compares with other states in terms of women being represented? Let's find out. Search Tips Go to http://www.ncsl.org/ and click on the "About State Legislatures" under the "State Legislatures" icon. Then click on the "2003 Women Legislators" icon. Questions to Ask Which state or states have the lowest percentage of women in their legislatures? Which state or states have the highest percentage of women in their legislatures? How does you state compare? Why it Matters Women's rights groups argue that as more and more women enter the legislature the priorities of such bodies will probably shift somewhat towards issues women are concerned with. Get Involved Investigate how women are represented in other representative bodies in your state and community such as student government, city council, and country boards.   To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

	State Court Systems The way judges are selected matters, according to some. As the text notes, there are three general ways in which state judges are selected, either by appointment, election, or merit. Advocates of a neutral and non-political judiciary argue that the appointment and election methods are inherently worse than the merit method because politics creeps into them. What method does your state use? Are there any unique differences between the way judges are selected in your state and another state that uses a similar method? If you could change the way judges are selected in your state what would you change it to? Search Tips Go to http://www.ajs.org/selection/sel_state-select-map.asp and review the method of judicial selection in your state and two other states. Questions to Ask What method does your state use? Is this the method used by neighboring states? Does the method your state uses seem too political to you? If you could change the method of judicial selection in your state what would you change it to? Why it Matters The judicial branch is supposed to be the least political of the three branches of government and this helps people and institutions trust and accept the decisions that judges make. When politics creeps into the court system many people begin to lose trust in it. Get Involved Are there any organizations in your state dedicated to changing the way judges are selected? If so, find out more about these organizations. If you agree with their practices, get involved with the process.   To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

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