the most basic units of government, except for in parts of New England
counties
counties in Louisiana
parishes
counties in Alaska
boroughs
the chief executive in a state government
governor
a type of veto by which a governor can reject specific parts of legislation while signing the rest of a bill into law
line-item veto
divisions of counties
townships
the nation's cities, towns, and villages
municipalities
process by which municipalities are given their legal authority by the state
incorporation
a form of municipal government in which citizens elect a mayor to serve as the chief executive and a city council to serve as the local legislature
mayor-council system
legislature in which sessions may be held annually and may last for much of the year
professional legislature
a form of municipal government in which the city council appoints a city manager to be the chief executive and the mayor leads the city council
council-manager system
a form of municipal government in which a group of elected commissioners lead city departments and set local policies
commission system
local governments that provide a single service to defined area
special districts
laws passed by cities and towns to regulate land use
zoning laws
part-time legislatures, in which legislators meet only once every other year and for a period of about two months
citizen legislatures
a process through which citizens propose and enact state and local laws directly
initiative
a popular vote on a proposal that has already been considered by the legislature
referendum
a process through which citizens remove government officials from office before the end of a term
recall
another name for Article IV, Section 4, of the Constitution, which "guarantee[s] to every state in [the] Union a Republic Form of Government"
guarantee clause
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law that determines the basic political principles of a government
fundamental law
law found in state constitutions that is very detailed and specific
statutory law
a system for selecting judges involving both election and appointment
Missouri Plan
powers granted to a governor, including the power to grant pardons and commutations
executive clemency
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