Structure and Function of State Government

State Constitutions Create structure of government Every state separates powers between 3 branches Outline the organization, powers, and method of election for the branches Establish local governments (counties, townships, municipalities, etc.) Regulate the ways state and local governments can raise and spend money

Constitutional Characteristics Bill of Rights Most or all of US Constitution guarantees Other protections not in the national Constitution (workers rights, ban on discrimination, protections for the disabled) Length Originally, most states had constitutions around the same length as the national Constitution Today the average state Constitution is roughly 5 times longer than the national

Constitutional Characteristics Detail Most state constitutions are very detailed There are many aspects of life that are particular to individual states, it would not make sense for the national Constitution to cover everything A lot of the length of state constitutions is political with certain groups lobbying for protections

Amendments and Changes All 50 states use a two step process: Proposal and Ratification Proposal State Legislature Popular Initiative Constitutional Commission Constitutional Convention Ratification All states except Delaware require ratification by popular vote Most require a simple majority

Criticism and Reform There is a lot of debate about state constitutions being too long Creating a new constitution requires a state convention called for by the state legislature and the new constitution must be ratified by the people Even though there is a process, many states have not had the political power to change existing constitutions Judicial interpretation has become the most popular way to reform constitutions, with many state judges creating interpretations independent of the US Constitution

Your Own Constitution If you had to create your own state constitution, what protections would you add beyond what is in the US Constitution?