State and Local Government
Chapter 1: Introduction to State & Local Politics
--states are called laboratories of democracy for different policies and procedures that each may
employ for an issue or problem
--states and localities differ in countless ways such as population, ethnic groups, legislative
organization, land use, etc
--people organize as a society to address common concerns and goals; differences among states
may be caused by things such as social or political movements
--hybrid/Missouri plan is also known as retention; many states do not require a judge to have
been a lawyer
--states and localities provide majority of services that people receive; differences among what
people think can result from placing themselves on different spots of the political spectrum;
changes can come about by changes to institutions and constitutions
Chapter 2 Federalism: State Politics within a Federal System
--local government is not mentioned or prohibited by the constitution
--federal system was chosen as there was great conflict and dispute among the states during the
Articles of Confederation; federal system allowed for freedom of individual states, but for a
stronger central government to hold them all together
--local and state governments in unitary systems are fully subject to the authority of the national
government
--Madison, Hamilton, and John Jay wrote the Federalist Papers; Anti Federalists were concerned
about a strong federal government eliminating the rights of the state and people
-article I sets up the legislative branch with Congress; article II sets up the executive branch and
the requirements of being president; article III sets up the judicial branch; article IV discusses
full faith and credit where laws and rules of one state are to be respected by one another,
although there are some exceptions such as tuition and licensing; article V established
procedures for adding amendments; articles VI established the supremacy clause; article VII
establishes the ratification procedure of the constitution
--necessary and proper or elastic clause establishes the concept of implied powers where all laws
necessary and proper for the execution of listed powers are permitted
--devolution is where more power is given over to the state from the federal government; 14th
amendment established nationalized citizenship
, --before the Civil War, dual federalism like a layer cake existed; after, different levels of
government began to work together on policies in an interactive manner like a marble cake
--categorical grant is to be used for a specific reason; block grant is to be used in any area of
choice
--Marbury v Madison established the principle of judicial review; Gideon v Wainwright ruled
that lawyers must be made available; Miranda v Arizona requires officers to read rights
--16th amendment established the federal income tax
--formula grants awards money to states based on demographics in an effort to increase equality;
state and federal government can both tax
Chapter 3: Participation, Elections, and Representation
--literacy tests were difficult tests that could have a person do something like interpret the
Constitution; were often too difficult to pass and were intended to deny blacks the right to vote
--grandfather clause exempted whites from post Civil War rules intended to limit blacks; allowed
person to vote if father or grandfather was citizen before the war
--poll tax is a tax or fee that must be paid in order to secure the right to register or to vote
--Voting Rights Act of 1965 was designed to remove racial barriers to voting; gave federal
government authority over local registration procedures in many southern states and declared
that redistricting could not be done in a way that does disenfranchises any group of people
--before the 19th amendment was added to constitution in 1920, many states also denied women
the right to vote
--1995 National Voter Registration Act (Motor Voter Law) required states to accept mail-in
registrations for federal elections if postmarked thirty days before the election and require that
public agencies provide voter registration forms
--registration offices having shorter hours and having closing dates for registration further away
from the election depress voter turnout
--winner take all produces a two party system because there is nothing to be won for candidates
that always finish third or less
--redistricting must be done to account for shifts in population; incumbents and the party in
power have great influence over how the district lines are redrawn and often try to redraw the
lines in a way that increases their hold on power, a process known as gerrymandering
Chapter 1: Introduction to State & Local Politics
--states are called laboratories of democracy for different policies and procedures that each may
employ for an issue or problem
--states and localities differ in countless ways such as population, ethnic groups, legislative
organization, land use, etc
--people organize as a society to address common concerns and goals; differences among states
may be caused by things such as social or political movements
--hybrid/Missouri plan is also known as retention; many states do not require a judge to have
been a lawyer
--states and localities provide majority of services that people receive; differences among what
people think can result from placing themselves on different spots of the political spectrum;
changes can come about by changes to institutions and constitutions
Chapter 2 Federalism: State Politics within a Federal System
--local government is not mentioned or prohibited by the constitution
--federal system was chosen as there was great conflict and dispute among the states during the
Articles of Confederation; federal system allowed for freedom of individual states, but for a
stronger central government to hold them all together
--local and state governments in unitary systems are fully subject to the authority of the national
government
--Madison, Hamilton, and John Jay wrote the Federalist Papers; Anti Federalists were concerned
about a strong federal government eliminating the rights of the state and people
-article I sets up the legislative branch with Congress; article II sets up the executive branch and
the requirements of being president; article III sets up the judicial branch; article IV discusses
full faith and credit where laws and rules of one state are to be respected by one another,
although there are some exceptions such as tuition and licensing; article V established
procedures for adding amendments; articles VI established the supremacy clause; article VII
establishes the ratification procedure of the constitution
--necessary and proper or elastic clause establishes the concept of implied powers where all laws
necessary and proper for the execution of listed powers are permitted
--devolution is where more power is given over to the state from the federal government; 14th
amendment established nationalized citizenship
, --before the Civil War, dual federalism like a layer cake existed; after, different levels of
government began to work together on policies in an interactive manner like a marble cake
--categorical grant is to be used for a specific reason; block grant is to be used in any area of
choice
--Marbury v Madison established the principle of judicial review; Gideon v Wainwright ruled
that lawyers must be made available; Miranda v Arizona requires officers to read rights
--16th amendment established the federal income tax
--formula grants awards money to states based on demographics in an effort to increase equality;
state and federal government can both tax
Chapter 3: Participation, Elections, and Representation
--literacy tests were difficult tests that could have a person do something like interpret the
Constitution; were often too difficult to pass and were intended to deny blacks the right to vote
--grandfather clause exempted whites from post Civil War rules intended to limit blacks; allowed
person to vote if father or grandfather was citizen before the war
--poll tax is a tax or fee that must be paid in order to secure the right to register or to vote
--Voting Rights Act of 1965 was designed to remove racial barriers to voting; gave federal
government authority over local registration procedures in many southern states and declared
that redistricting could not be done in a way that does disenfranchises any group of people
--before the 19th amendment was added to constitution in 1920, many states also denied women
the right to vote
--1995 National Voter Registration Act (Motor Voter Law) required states to accept mail-in
registrations for federal elections if postmarked thirty days before the election and require that
public agencies provide voter registration forms
--registration offices having shorter hours and having closing dates for registration further away
from the election depress voter turnout
--winner take all produces a two party system because there is nothing to be won for candidates
that always finish third or less
--redistricting must be done to account for shifts in population; incumbents and the party in
power have great influence over how the district lines are redrawn and often try to redraw the
lines in a way that increases their hold on power, a process known as gerrymandering
