125-723: The Interstate Highways in Minnesota are all owned and operated by the US State of Minnesota . The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) provides primary maintenance for all 921.621 miles of highway. There are no tolled miles on the Minnesota Interstate, with the exception of HOV lanes governed by the E-ZPass program. The system is made up of three primary routes, four auxiliary sections, including two spurs and two loop sections, as well as one of three split sections remaining in
250-437: A general election , they may be held. In all states, the legislatures can remove state executive branch officials, including governors, who have committed serious abuses of their power from office. The process of doing so includes impeachment (the bringing of specific charges), and a trial , in which legislators act as a jury. The primary responsibilities of state legislatures are to enact state laws and appropriate money for
375-485: A republican government known as the Commonwealth of England . Virginia became a royal colony again in 1660, and the word was dropped from the full title; it went unused until reintroduced in 1776. In each state, the chief executive is called the governor, who serves as both head of state and head of government . All governors are chosen by statewide direct election . The governor may approve or veto bills passed by
500-563: A two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate, or by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the state legislatures. To become part of the Constitution, an amendment must be ratified by either—as determined by Congress—the legislatures of three-quarters of the states or state ratifying conventions in three-quarters of the states. The vote in each state (to either ratify or reject
625-501: A citizen of the United States for at least seven years, and be a (legal) inhabitant of the state they represent. Senators must be at least 30 years old, a citizen of the United States for at least nine years, and be a (legal) inhabitant of the state they represent. The president and vice president must be at least 35 years old, a natural born citizen of the United States, and a resident in the United States for at least fourteen years. It
750-556: A district electing two representatives must have approximately twice the population of a district electing just one. The voting systems used across the nation are: first-past-the-post in single-member districts, and multiple non-transferable vote in multi-member districts. In 2013, there were a total of 7,383 legislators in the 50 state legislative bodies. They earned from $ 0 annually (New Mexico) to $ 90,526 (California). There were various per diem and mileage compensation. States can also organize their judicial systems differently from
875-454: A few local elections. Following the 2020 United States presidential election , amidst disputes of its outcome , as a rationale behind litigation demanding a halt to official vote counting in some areas, allegations were made that vote counting is offshored . Former Trump Administration official Chris Krebs , head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) during
1000-521: A few states choose to have the judges on the state's courts serve for life terms. In most states, the judges, including the justices of the highest court in the state, are either elected or appointed for terms of a limited number of years and are usually eligible for re-election or reappointment. All states are unitary states , not federations or aggregates of local governments . Local governments within them are created by and exist by virtue of state law, and local governments within each state are subject to
1125-575: A general regulatory power and undid the Framers' original structure of limited and delegated powers." Subsequently, Congress invoked the Commerce Clause to expand federal criminal legislation, as well as for social reforms such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 . Only within the past couple of decades, through decisions in cases such as those in U.S. v. Lopez (1995) and U.S. v. Morrison (2000), has
1250-623: A joint ticket and in some states separately, some separately in different electoral cycles. The governors of the territories of American Samoa , Guam , the Northern Mariana Islands , Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands are also elected. In some states, executive positions such as Attorney General and Secretary of State are also elected offices. All members of state legislatures and territorial jurisdiction legislatures are elected. In some states, members of
1375-510: A means to retain control of their lands. The proposed constitution ultimately failed in the U.S. Congress. Instead, the Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory were both incorporated into the new state of Oklahoma in 1907. The first instance occurred while the nation still operated under the Articles of Confederation. The State of Franklin existed for several years, not long after the end of
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#17328545907451500-405: A particular political party. The United States Constitution has never formally addressed the issue of political parties. The Founding Fathers such as Alexander Hamilton and James Madison did not support domestic political factions at the time the Constitution was written. In addition, the first president of the United States , George Washington , was not a member of any political party at
1625-571: A party candidate in advance, electors that vote against the popular vote in their state are called faithless electors , and occurrences are rare. State law regulates how states cast their electoral college votes. In all states except Maine and Nebraska , the candidate that wins the most votes in the state receives all its electoral college votes (a "winner takes all" system). From 1972 in Maine, and from 1996 in Nebraska, two electoral votes are awarded based on
1750-550: A party may vote in that party's primary elections ( see below ). Declaring a party affiliation is never required. Some states, including Georgia , Michigan , Minnesota , Virginia , Wisconsin , and Washington , practice non-partisan registration. Federal law prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections. As of 2024, 7 state constitutions specifically state that "only" a citizen can vote in elections at any level in that state: Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, North Dakota, and Ohio. Voter ID laws in
1875-466: A presumed felon and arrest by the law officers of one state in another state are often permitted by a state. The full faith and credit expectation does have exceptions, some legal arrangements, such as professional licensure and marriages, may be state-specific, and until recently states have not been found by the courts to be required to honor such arrangements from other states. Such legal acts are nevertheless often recognized state-to-state according to
2000-543: A proposed amendment) carries equal weight, regardless of a state's population or length of time in the Union. U.S. states are not sovereign in the Westphalian sense in international law which says that each State has sovereignty over its territory and domestic affairs, to the exclusion of all external powers, on the principle of non-interference in another State's domestic affairs, and that each State (no matter how large or small)
2125-491: A referendum on the sitting president or incumbent party's performance. Ballot access refers to the laws which regulate under what conditions access is granted for a candidate or political party to appear on voters' ballots. Each state has its own ballot access laws to determine who may appear on ballots and who may not. According to Article I, Section 4, of the United States Constitution, the authority to regulate
2250-427: A signed application. Usually such agents are family members or persons from the same residence. 13 states neither enable nor prohibit ballot collection as a matter of law. Among those that allow it, 12 have limits on how many ballots an agent may collect. Americans living outside the United States, including active duty members of the armed forces stationed outside of their state of residency, may register and vote under
2375-518: A single day throughout the country; Article I established that elections for Congressional offices, however, can be held at different times. Congressional and presidential elections take place simultaneously every four years, and the intervening Congressional elections, which take place every two years, are called midterm elections . The constitution states that members of the United States House of Representatives must be at least 25 years old,
2500-497: A smaller upper house, in all states called the Senate. The exception is the unicameral Nebraska Legislature , meaning it has only a single chamber. Most states have a part-time legislature (traditionally called a citizen legislature ). Ten state legislatures are considered full-time ; these bodies are more similar to the U.S. Congress than are the others. Members of each state's legislature are chosen by direct election. In Baker v. Carr (1962) and Reynolds v. Sims (1964),
2625-459: A specific local office may be held at the same time as either the presidential, midterm, or off-year elections. Many Native American tribal governmental positions, including executive and legislative positions, are typically filled by election. In some cases, tribal citizens elect council members who elect from among their body a chief executive. The number of positions and titles used vary from one tribal government to another, but common titles for
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#17328545907452750-472: A territory has. When the people of a territory make their desire for statehood known to the federal government, Congress may pass an enabling act authorizing the people of that territory to organize a constitutional convention to write a state constitution as a step toward admission to the Union. Each act details the mechanism by which the territory will be admitted as a state following ratification of their constitution and election of state officers. Although
2875-443: A two-year term in single-seat constituencies . House of Representatives elections are held every two years on the first Tuesday after November 1 in even years. Special House elections can occur between if a member dies or resigns during a term. House elections are first-past-the-post elections that elect a Representative from each of 435 House districts that cover the United States. The non-voting delegates of Washington, D.C. , and
3000-423: A voter must request an absentee ballot before the election occurs. In Colorado , Hawaii , Oregon , Utah and Washington state , all ballots are delivered through the mail; in many other states there are counties or certain small elections where everyone votes by mail. As of July 2020, 26 states allow designated agents to collect and submit ballots on behalf of another voter, whose identities are specified on
3125-776: Is a formal process where voters can cast their ballots prior to the official Election Day. Early voting in person is allowed in 47 states and in Washington, D.C. , with no excuse required. Only Alabama, New Hampshire and Oregon do not allow early voting, while some counties in Idaho do not allow it. The earliest voting in the US was through paper ballots that were hand-counted. By the late 1800s, paper ballots printed by election officials were nearly universal. By 1980, 10% of American voters used paper ballots that were counted by hand, which dropped below 1% by 2008. Mechanical voting machines were first used in
3250-527: Is equal in international law. Additionally, the 50 U.S. states do not possess international legal sovereignty, meaning that they are not recognized by other sovereign States such as, for example, France, Germany or the United Kingdom. The federal government is responsible for international relations , but state and local government leaders do occasionally travel to other countries and form economic and cultural relationships. Article IV also grants to Congress
3375-461: Is estimated to be 5.3 million. Some states also have legacy constitutional statements barring those legally declared incompetent from voting; such references are generally considered obsolete and are being considered for review or removal where they appear. About 4.3 million American citizens that reside in Washington, D.C. , Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories do not have the same level of federal representation as those that reside in
3500-415: Is involved). Candidates formally manage the campaign and fund raising organization independent of the party. The primary elections in the main parties are organized by the states, who also register the party affiliation of the voters (this also makes it easier to gerrymander the congressional districts). The party is thus little more than a campaign organization for the main elections. However, elections in
3625-502: Is required to give full faith and credit to the acts of each other's legislatures and courts, which is generally held to include the recognition of most contracts and criminal judgments, and before 1865, slavery status. Under the Extradition Clause , a state must extradite people located there who have fled charges of "treason, felony, or other crimes" in another state if the other state so demands. The principle of hot pursuit of
3750-543: Is set out in the constitution and also regulated at state level. The constitution states that suffrage cannot be denied on grounds of race or color , sex , or age for citizens eighteen years or older . Beyond these basic qualifications, it is the responsibility of state legislatures to regulate voter eligibility. Some states ban convicted criminals, especially felons , from voting for a fixed period of time or indefinitely. The number of American adults who are currently or permanently ineligible to vote due to felony convictions
3875-598: Is the nationwide legal drinking age of 21, enacted by each state, brought about by the National Minimum Drinking Age Act . Although some objected that this infringes on states' rights, the Supreme Court upheld the practice as a permissible use of the Constitution's Spending Clause in South Dakota v. Dole 483 U.S. 203 (1987). As prescribed by Article I of the Constitution, which establishes
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4000-400: Is the responsibility of state legislatures to regulate the qualifications for a candidate appearing on a ballot paper, although in order to get onto the ballot, a candidate must often collect a legally defined number of signatures or meet other state-specific requirements. The president and the vice president are elected together in a presidential election. It is an indirect election , with
4125-461: The 2010 census . Each state is entitled to a number of electors equal to the total number of representatives and senators from that state; the District of Columbia is entitled to three electors. While the Constitution does set parameters for the election of federal officials, state law, not federal, regulates most aspects of elections in the U.S., including primaries, the eligibility of voters (beyond
4250-725: The Constitution of Alabama , contained 310,296 words, which is more than 40 times as many as the U.S. Constitution . In practice, each state has adopted a three-branch frame of government: executive, legislative, and judicial (even though doing so has never been required). Early in American history, four state governments differentiated themselves from the others in their first constitutions by choosing to self-identify as Commonwealths rather than as states : Virginia , in 1776; Pennsylvania , in 1777; Massachusetts , in 1780; and Kentucky , in 1792. Consequently, while these four are states like
4375-458: The Constitution of the United States . In relation to the states, the U.S. Constitution elaborated concepts of federalism . Under U.S. constitutional law, the 50 individual states and the United States as a whole are each sovereign jurisdictions. The states are not administrative divisions of the country; the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution reserves to the states or to
4500-455: The District of Columbia indirectly elect the president and vice president . When casting ballots in presidential elections they are voting for presidential electors , who then, using procedures provided in the 12th amendment , elect the president and vice president. There were 538 electors for the most recent presidential election in 2020 ; the allocation of electoral votes was based on
4625-584: The Lee Resolution and signing the United States Declaration of Independence . Prior to these events each state had been a British colony ; each then joined the first Union of states between 1777 and 1781, upon ratifying the Articles of Confederation , the first U.S. constitution. Also during this period, the newly independent states developed their own individual state constitutions , among
4750-480: The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA). Almost half the states require these ballots to be returned by mail. Other states allow mail along with some combination of fax , or email ; four states allow a web portal. A significant measure to prevent some types of fraud has been to require the voter's signature on the outer envelope, which is compared to one or more signatures on file before taking
4875-702: The United States Constitution . States and their citizens are represented in the United States Congress , a bicameral legislature consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives . Each state is also entitled to select a number of electors (equal to the total number of representatives and senators from that state) to vote in the Electoral College , the body that directly elects the president of
5000-494: The federal judiciary , as long as they protect the federal constitutional right of their citizens to procedural due process . Most have a trial-level court, generally called a district court , superior court or circuit court , a first-level appellate court , generally called a court of appeal (or appeals), and a supreme court . Oklahoma and Texas have separate highest courts for criminal appeals. Uniquely, in New York State,
5125-538: The federal republic and of the state in which they reside . State citizenship and residency are flexible, and no government approval is required to move between states , except for persons restricted by certain types of court orders (such as paroled convicts and children of divorced spouses who share child custody ). State governments in the U.S. are allocated power by the people (of each respective state) through their individual state constitutions . All are grounded in republican principles (this being required by
List of Interstate Highways in Minnesota - Misplaced Pages Continue
5250-488: The president , is elected indirectly by the people of each state , through an Electoral College . Today, these electors almost always vote with the popular vote of their state. All members of the federal legislature, the Congress , are directly elected by the people of each state. There are many elected offices at state level, each state having at least an elective governor and legislature . There are also elected offices at
5375-555: The state level. All U.S. states except North Dakota require that citizens who wish to vote be registered . In many states, voter registration takes place at the county or municipal level. Traditionally, voters had to register directly at state or local offices to vote, but in the mid-1990s, efforts were made by the federal government to make registering easier, in an attempt to increase turnout. The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (the "Motor Voter" law) required state governments that receive certain types of federal funding to make
5500-462: The state supreme court and other members of the state judiciary are elected. Proposals to amend the state constitution are also placed on the ballot in some states. As a matter of convenience and cost saving, elections for many of these state and local offices are held at the same time as either the federal presidential or midterm elections. There are a handful of states, however, that instead hold their elections during odd-numbered " off years ." At
5625-444: The 1970s, the final major voting technology for the US was developed, the DRE voting machine . In 1980, less than 1% of ballots were cast with DRE. Prevalence grew to 10% in 2000, then peaked at 38% in 2006. Because DREs are fully digital, with no paper trail of votes, backlash against them caused prevalence to drop to 33% in 2010. The voting equipment used by a given US county is related to
5750-609: The 50 U.S. states. These areas only have non-voting members in the U.S. House of Representatives and no representation in the U.S. Senate. Citizens in the U.S. territories are also not represented in the Electoral College and therefore cannot vote for the president. Those in Washington, D.C. are permitted to vote for the president because of the Twenty-third Amendment . While the federal government has jurisdiction over federal elections, most election laws are decided at
5875-669: The American Revolution, but was never recognized by the Confederation Congress, which ultimately recognized North Carolina 's claim of sovereignty over the area. The territory comprising Franklin later became part of the Southwest Territory, and ultimately of the state of Tennessee. Additionally, the entry of several states into the Union was delayed due to distinctive complicating factors. Among them, Michigan Territory , which petitioned Congress for statehood in 1835,
6000-420: The Constitution has been amended, and the interpretation and application of its provisions have changed. The general tendency has been toward centralization and incorporation , with the federal government playing a much larger role than it once did. There is a continuing debate over states' rights , which concerns the extent and nature of the states' powers and sovereignty in relation to the federal government and
6125-409: The Constitution mandated admission of new states on the basis of equality. With the consent of Congress, states may enter into interstate compacts , agreements between two or more states. Compacts are frequently used to manage a shared resource, such as transportation infrastructure or water rights. Under Article IV of the Constitution , which outlines the relationship between the states, each state
6250-634: The Constitution. A state, unlike the federal government, has un-enumerated police power , that is, the right to generally make all necessary laws for the welfare of its people. As a result, while the governments of the various states share many similar features, they often vary greatly with regard to form and substance. No two state governments are identical. The government of each state is structured in accordance with its individual constitution, all of which are written constitutions. Many of these documents are more detailed and more elaborated than their federal counterpart. For example, before its revision in 2022,
6375-614: The Court tried to limit the Commerce Clause power of Congress. Another enumerated congressional power is its taxing and spending power . An example of this is the system of federal aid for highways, which include the Interstate Highway System . The system is mandated and largely funded by the federal government and serves the interests of the states. By threatening to withhold federal highway funds, Congress has been able to pressure state legislatures to pass various laws. An example
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#17328545907456500-498: The Democratic Party. State law and state constitutions , controlled by state legislatures regulate elections at state level and local level. Various officials at state level are elected. Since the separation of powers applies to states as well as the federal government, state legislatures and the executive (the governor) are elected separately. Governors and lieutenant governors are elected in all states, in some states on
6625-477: The House, combined with the general deficiencies of the first-past-the-post voting system, and divisions inherent in the design of the Senate and of the Electoral College, result in a discrepancy between the percentage of popular support for various political parties and the actual level of the parties' representation. In particular, gerrymandering has been found to benefit the Republican Party more than it does
6750-505: The House—presently 435 voting members—is set by federal statute . Seats in the House are distributed among the states in proportion to the most recent constitutionally mandated decennial census . The borders of these districts are established by the states individually through a process called redistricting , and within each state all districts are required to have approximately equal populations. Citizens in each state plus those in
6875-593: The President. As the redistricting commissions of states are often partisan, districts are often drawn which benefit incumbents. An increasing trend has been for incumbents to have an overwhelming advantage in House elections, and since the 1994 election , an unusually low number of seats has changed hands in each election. Due to gerrymandering , fewer than 10% of all House seats are contested in each election cycle. Over 90% of House members are reelected every two years, due to lack of electoral competition. Gerrymandering of
7000-501: The Senate seats that is up for election during a given year is known as a " class "; the three classes are staggered so that only one of the three groups is renewed every two years. Until the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1913, states chose how to elect Senators, and they were often elected by state legislatures, not the electorate of states. The House of Representatives has 435 members, elected for
7125-546: The Supreme Court in U.S. v. Darby upheld the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 , holding that Congress had the power under the Commerce Clause to regulate employment conditions. Then, one year later, in Wickard v. Filburn , the Court expanded federal power to regulate the economy by holding that federal authority under the commerce clause extends to activities which may appear to be local in nature but in reality effect
7250-605: The U.S. Congress, each state is represented in the Senate (irrespective of population size) by two senators, and each is guaranteed at least one representative in the House. Both senators and representatives are chosen in direct popular elections in the various states. (Prior to 1913, senators were elected by state legislatures.) There are presently 100 senators, who are elected at-large to staggered terms of six years, with one-third of them being chosen every two years. Representatives are elected at large or from single-member districts to terms of two years (not staggered). The size of
7375-515: The U.S. Supreme Court held that all states are required to elect their legislatures in such a way as to afford each citizen the same degree of representation (the one person, one vote standard). In practice, most states elect legislators from single-member districts , each of which has approximately the same population. Some states, such as Maryland and Vermont, divide the state into single- and multi-member districts. In this case, multi-member districts must have proportionately larger populations, e.g.,
7500-475: The U.S. to implement measures to remediate the high number of unregistered citizens. In many states, citizens registering to vote may declare an affiliation with a political party . This declaration of affiliation does not cost money, and does not make the citizen a dues-paying member of a party. A party cannot prevent a voter from declaring his or her affiliation with them, but it can refuse requests for full membership. In some states, only voters affiliated with
7625-402: The U.S., including primary elections , the eligibility of voters (beyond the basic constitutional definition), the method of choosing presidential electors, as well as the running of state and local elections. All elections—federal, state, and local—are administered by the individual states, with many aspects of the system's operations delegated to the county or local level. Under federal law,
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#17328545907457750-470: The US Constitution. It is a highly decentralized system. In around half of US states, the secretary of state is the official in charge of elections; in other states it is someone appointed for the job, or a commission. It is this person or commission who is responsible for certifying, tabulating, and reporting votes for the state. Americans vote for a specific candidate instead of directly selecting
7875-572: The US in the 1892 elections in Lockport, New York . The state of Massachusetts was one of the first states to adopt lever voting machines, doing so in 1899, but the state's Supreme Judicial Court ruled their usage unconstitutional in 1907. Lever machines grew in popularity despite controversies, with about two-thirds of votes for president in the 1964 United States presidential election cast with lever machines. Lever machine use declined to about 40% of votes in 1980, then 6% in 2008. Punch card voting equipment
8000-650: The United States . Additionally, each state has the opportunity to ratify constitutional amendments , and, with the consent of Congress, two or more states may enter into interstate compacts with one another. The police power of each state is also recognized. Historically, the tasks of local law enforcement , public education , public health , intrastate commerce regulation, and local transportation and infrastructure , in addition to local, state, and federal elections , have generally been considered primarily state responsibilities, although all of these now have significant federal funding and regulation as well. Over time,
8125-634: The United States Congress. Puerto Rico has limited representation in the U.S. House of Representatives in the form of a Resident Commissioner , a delegate with limited voting rights in the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union , but no voting rights otherwise. A non-binding referendum on statehood, independence, or a new option for an associated territory (different from the current status)
8250-469: The United States Constitution (1804), the runner-up in a presidential election became the vice president. Electoral College votes are cast by individual states by a group of electors; each elector casts one electoral college vote. Until the Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution of 1961, citizens from the District of Columbia did not have representation in the electoral college. In modern times, with electors usually committed to vote for
8375-672: The United States are laws that require a person to provide some form of official identification before they are permitted to register to vote , receive a ballot for an election , or to actually vote in elections in the United States. Proponents of voter ID laws argue that they reduce electoral fraud while placing only little burden on voters. Critics worry the costs to voters without IDs will outweigh unclear benefits it would have on real or perceived fraud. Voters unable or unwilling to vote at polling stations on Election Day may vote via absentee ballots , depending on state law. Originally these ballots were for people who could not go to
8500-419: The United States is currently voluntary only at the federal, state and local levels. Efforts to make voting mandatory have been proposed. A number of voting methods are used within the various jurisdictions in the United States, the most common of which is the first-past-the-post system, where the highest-polling candidate wins the election. Under this system, a candidate who achieves a plurality (that is,
8625-465: The United States often do become de facto national races between the political parties. In what is known as " presidential coattails ", candidates in presidential elections usually bring out supporters who then vote for his or her party's candidates for other offices, usually resulting in the presidential winner's party gaining seats in Congress. On the other hand, midterm elections are sometimes regarded as
8750-481: The United States, I-35E and I-35W . US State In the United States , a state is a constituent political entity , of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union , each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sovereignty with the federal government . Due to this shared sovereignty , Americans are citizens both of
8875-443: The administration of public policy. In all states, if the governor vetoes a bill (or a portion of one), it can still become law if the legislature overrides the veto (repasses the bill), which in most states requires a two-thirds vote in each chamber. In 49 of the 50 states the legislature consists of two chambers: a lower house (variously called the House of Representatives, State Assembly, General Assembly or House of Delegates) and
9000-402: The authority to admit new states into the Union. Since the establishment of the United States in 1776, the number of states has expanded from the original 13 to 50. Each new state has been admitted on an equal footing with the existing states. Article IV also forbids the creation of new states from parts of existing states without the consent of both the affected states and Congress. This caveat
9125-431: The ballot out of the envelope and counting it. Not all states have standards for signature review. There have been concerns that signatures are improperly rejected from young and minority voters at higher rates than others, with no or limited ability of voters to appeal the rejection. For other types of errors, experts estimate that while there is more fraud with absentee ballots than in-person voting, it has affected only
9250-442: The basic constitutional definition), the running of each state's electoral college, as well as the running of state and local elections. All elections—federal, state, and local—are administered by the individual states, and some voting rules and procedures may differ among them. Article V of the Constitution accords states a key role in the process of amending the U.S. Constitution. Amendments may be proposed either by Congress with
9375-450: The central authority of that particular state. State governments commonly delegate some authority to local units and channel policy decisions down to them for implementation. In a few states, local units of government are permitted a degree of home rule over various matters. The prevailing legal theory of state preeminence over local governments, referred to as Dillon's Rule , holds that, A municipal corporation possesses and can exercise
9500-458: The common practice of comity . States are prohibited from discriminating against citizens of other states with respect to their basic rights , under the Privileges and Immunities Clause . Under Article IV, each state is guaranteed a form of government that is grounded in republican principles, such as the consent of the governed . This guarantee has long been at the forefront of the debate about
9625-408: The county's historical wealth. A county's use of punch cards in the year 2000 was positively correlated with the county's wealth in 1969, when punch card machines were at their peak of popularity. Counties with higher wealth in 1989 were less likely to still use punch cards in 2000. This supports the idea that punch cards were used in counties that were well-off in the 1960s, but whose wealth declined in
9750-401: The creation of political parties, as the first-past-the-post electoral system was kept. Candidates decide to run under a party label, register to run, pay filing fees, etc. In the primary elections , the party organization stays neutral until one candidate has been elected. The platform of the party is written by the winning candidate (in presidential elections; in other elections no platform
9875-480: The democratic will of the United States citizens residing in Puerto Rico as expressed in the plebiscites held on November 6, 2012, and June 11, 2017, by setting forth the terms for the admission of the territory of Puerto Rico as a state of the Union. The act has 37 original cosponsors between Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives. On November 3, 2020, Puerto Rico held another referendum . In
10000-494: The discretion of the individual state and local governments, with many of these races coinciding with either presidential or midterm elections as a matter of convenience and cost saving, while other state and local races may occur during odd-numbered " off years ". The date when primary elections for federal, state, and local races occur are also at the discretion of the individual state and local governments; presidential primaries in particular have historically been staggered between
10125-435: The earliest written constitutions in the world. Although different in detail, these state constitutions shared features that would be important in the American constitutional order: they were republican in form, and separated power among three branches, most had bicameral legislatures, and contained statements, or a bill, of rights. Later, from 1787 to 1790, each of the states also ratified a new federal frame of government in
10250-413: The early 20th century, the Supreme Court's interpretation of this " Commerce Clause " has, over time, greatly expanded the scope of federal power , at the expense of powers formerly considered purely states' matters. The Cambridge Economic History of the United States says, "On the whole, especially after the mid-1880s, the Court construed the Commerce Clause in favor of increased federal power." In 1941,
10375-733: The election, said in a December 2020 interview that, "All votes in the United States of America are counted in the United States of America." One documented trend is that in-person votes and early votes are more likely to lean to the Republican Party , while the provisional ballots, which are counted later, trend to the Democratic Party . This phenomenon is known as blue shift , and has led to situations where Republicans were winning on election night only to be overtaken by Democrats after all votes were counted. Foley did not find that mail-in or absentee votes favored either party. Early voting
10500-400: The entire national economy and are therefore of national concern. For example, Congress can regulate railway traffic across state lines, but it may also regulate rail traffic solely within a state, based on the reality that intrastate traffic still affects interstate commerce. Through such decisions, argues law professor David F. Forte, "the Court turned the commerce power into the equivalent of
10625-514: The existence of the powers. Each state defines for itself what powers it will allow local governments. Generally, four categories of power may be given to local jurisdictions: Each state admitted to the Union by Congress since 1789 has entered it on an equal footing with the original states in all respects. With the growth of states' rights advocacy during the antebellum period , the Supreme Court asserted, in Lessee of Pollard v. Hagan (1845), that
10750-505: The federal constitution), and each provides for a government, consisting of three branches, each with separate and independent powers : executive , legislative , and judicial . States are divided into counties or county-equivalents, which may be assigned some local governmental authority but are not sovereign. County or county-equivalent structure varies widely by state, and states also create other local governments . States, unlike U.S. territories , possess many powers and rights under
10875-407: The federal government, or part of one, before being admitted to the Union. Three were set off from an already existing state, two entered the Union after having been sovereign states , and one was established from unorganized territory : Congress is under no obligation to admit states, even in those areas whose population expresses a desire for statehood. Such has been the case numerous times during
11000-406: The following powers and no others: First, those granted in express words; second, those necessarily implied or necessarily incident to the powers expressly granted; third, those absolutely essential to the declared objects and purposes of the corporation—not simply convenient but indispensable; fourth, any fair doubt as to the existence of power is resolved by the courts against the corporation—against
11125-528: The general elections of the president and Congress occur on Election Day , the Tuesday after the first Monday of November. These federal general elections are held in even-numbered years, with presidential elections occurring every four years, and congressional elections occurring every two years. The general elections that are held two years after the presidential ones are referred to as the midterm elections . General elections for state and local offices are held at
11250-471: The individual electors). The winner of the election is the candidate with at least 270 Electoral College votes. It is possible for a candidate to win the electoral vote , and lose the (nationwide) popular vote (receive fewer votes nationwide than the second ranked candidate). This has occurred five times in US history: in 1824, 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016. Prior to ratification of the Twelfth Amendment to
11375-430: The local level, county and city government positions are usually filled by election, especially within the legislative branch. The extent to which offices in the executive or judicial branches are elected vary from county-to-county or city-to-city. Some examples of local elected positions include sheriffs at the county level and mayors and school board members at the city level. Like state elections, an election for
11500-402: The local level, in counties , cities, towns, townships, boroughs, and villages; as well as for special districts and school districts which may transcend county and municipal boundaries. The country's election system is highly decentralized. While the U.S. Constitution does set parameters for the election of federal officials, state law, not federal, regulates most aspects of elections in
11625-497: The lowest polling candidate is eliminated, and their votes are distributed to the next preferred candidates. This process continues until one candidate achieves more than half the votes. In 2016 , Maine became the first state to adopt instant-runoff voting (known in the state as ranked-choice voting) statewide for its elections, although due to state constitutional provisions, the system is only used for federal elections and state primaries. The eligibility of an individual for voting
11750-432: The most) of vote wins. The State of Georgia uses a two-round system , where if no candidate receives a majority of votes, then there is a runoff between the two highest polling candidates. Since 2002, several cities have adopted instant-runoff voting . Voters rank the candidates in order of preference rather than voting for a single candidate. Under this system, if no candidate achieves more than half of votes cast, then
11875-583: The nation's history. In one instance, Mormon pioneers in Salt Lake City sought to establish the state of Deseret in 1849. It existed for slightly over two years and was never approved by the United States Congress . In another, leaders of the Five Civilized Tribes (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole) in Indian Territory proposed to establish the state of Sequoyah in 1905, as
12000-413: The non-binding referendum, Puerto Ricans voted in favor of becoming a state. They also voted for a pro-statehood governor , Pedro Pierluisi . Elections in the United States [REDACTED] [REDACTED] In the politics of the United States , elections are held for government officials at the federal , state , and local levels. At the federal level, the nation's head of state ,
12125-509: The other states, each is formally a commonwealth because the term is contained in its constitution. The term, commonwealth , which refers to a state in which the supreme power is vested in the people , was first used in Virginia during the Interregnum , the 1649–60 period between the reigns of Charles I and Charles II during which parliament's Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector established
12250-473: The people all powers of government not delegated to the federal government. Consequently, each of the 50 states reserves the right to organize its individual government in any way (within the broad parameters set by the U.S. Constitution and the Republican Guarantee enforced by Congress) deemed appropriate by its people, and to exercise all powers of government not delegated to the federal government by
12375-525: The people independently of the governor—such as the lieutenant governor , attorney general , comptroller , secretary of state , and others. Elections of officials in the United States are generally for a fixed term of office. The constitutions of 19 states allow for citizens to remove and replace an elected public official before the end of their term of office through a recall election . Each state follows its own procedures for recall elections, and sets its own restrictions on how often, and how soon after
12500-686: The polling place on election day. Now some states let them be used for convenience, but state laws still call them absentee ballots. Absentee ballots can be sent and returned by mail, or requested and submitted in person, or dropped off in locked boxes. About half the states and territories allow "no excuse absentee," where no reason is required to request an absentee ballot; others require a valid reason, such as infirmity or travel. Some states let voters with permanent disabilities apply for permanent absentee voter status, and some other states let all citizens apply for permanent status, so they will automatically receive an absentee ballot for each election. Otherwise
12625-701: The power to secede from the Union, shortly after the Civil War (1861–1865), the U.S. Supreme Court , in Texas v. White , held that a state cannot unilaterally do so. The 50 U.S. states, in alphabetical order, along with each state's flag: The 13 original states came into existence in July 1776 during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), as the successors of the Thirteen Colonies , upon agreeing to
12750-423: The proceeding decades. Counties that maintained their wealth from the 1960s onwards could afford to replace punch card machines as they fell out of favor. The United States has a presidential system of government, which means that the executive and legislature are elected separately. Article II of the United States Constitution requires that the election of the U.S. president by the Electoral College must occur on
12875-432: The process to admit Puerto Rico as a state. Another status referendum was held on June 11, 2017, in which 97% percent of voters chose statehood. Turnout was low, as only 23% of voters went to the polls, with advocates of both continued territorial status and independence urging voters to boycott it. On June 27, 2018, the H.R. 6246 Act was introduced on the U.S. House with the purpose of responding to, and comply with,
13000-487: The rights of citizens vis-à-vis the government. States are also guaranteed protection from invasion, and, upon the application of the state legislature (or executive, if the legislature cannot be convened), from domestic violence. This provision was discussed during the 1967 Detroit riot but was not invoked. The Supremacy Clause ( Article VI, Clause 2 ) establishes that the Constitution , federal laws made pursuant to it, and treaties made under its authority, constitute
13125-425: The rights of individuals. The Constitution grants to Congress the authority to admit new states into the Union. Since the establishment of the United States in 1776 by the Thirteen Colonies , the number of states has expanded from the original 13 to 50. Each new state has been admitted on an equal footing with the existing states. While the Constitution does not explicitly discuss the issue of whether states have
13250-415: The state legislature, as well as recommend and work for the passage of bills, usually supported by their political party. In 44 states, governors have line item veto power. Most states have a plural executive , meaning that the governor is not the only government official in the state responsible for its executive branch . In these states, executive power is distributed amongst other officials, elected by
13375-484: The states admitted to the Union after the original 13 were formed from an organized territory established and governed by Congress in accord with its plenary power under Article IV, Section 3, Clause 2 . The outline for this process was established by the Northwest Ordinance (1787), which predates the ratification of the Constitution. In some cases, an entire territory has become a state; in others some part of
13500-827: The states, beginning sometime in January or February, and ending about mid-June before the November general election. The restriction and extension of voting rights to different groups has been a contested process throughout United States history. The federal government has also been involved in attempts to increase voter turnout , by measures such as the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 . The financing of elections has also long been controversial, because private sources make up substantial amounts of campaign contributions, especially in federal elections. Voluntary public funding for candidates willing to accept spending limits
13625-514: The states. The Tenth Amendment reserves all other powers to the states, or to the people. Powers of the U.S. Congress are enumerated in Article I, Section 8 , for example, the power to declare war. Making treaties is one power forbidden to the states, being listed among other such powers in Article I, Section 10 . Among the Article I enumerated powers of Congress is the power to regulate commerce. Since
13750-414: The supreme law of the land. It provides that state courts are bound by the supreme law; in case of conflict between federal and state law, the federal law must be applied. Even state constitutions are subordinate to federal law. States' rights are understood mainly with reference to the Tenth Amendment . The Constitution delegates some powers to the national government, and it forbids some powers to
13875-424: The territories of American Samoa , Guam , the Northern Mariana Islands , Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands are also elected. House elections occur every two years, correlated with presidential elections or halfway through a president's term. The House delegate of Puerto Rico, officially known as the resident commissioner of Puerto Rico , is elected to a four-year term, coinciding with those of
14000-431: The time of his election or throughout his tenure as president. Furthermore, he hoped that political parties would not be formed , fearing conflict and stagnation. Nevertheless, the beginnings of the American two-party system emerged from his immediate circle of advisers, with Hamilton and Madison ending up being the core leaders in this emerging party system. Due to Duverger's law , the two-party system continued following
14125-467: The total number of judges across all state courts is about 30,000—for comparison, 1 million new cases are filed each year in federal courts, which have about 1,700 judges. Most states base their legal system on English common law (with substantial statutory changes and incorporation of certain civil law innovations), with the notable exception of Louisiana, a former French colony , which draws large parts of its legal system from French civil law . Only
14250-614: The trial court is called the Supreme Court ; appeals go up first to the Supreme Court's Appellate Division , and from there to its highest court, the New York Court of Appeals . State court systems exercise broad, plenary, and general jurisdiction, in contrast to the federal courts, which are courts of limited jurisdiction. The overwhelming majority of criminal and civil cases in the United States are heard in state courts. Each year, roughly 30 million new cases are filed in state courts and
14375-421: The tribal government's chief executive terms include president, governor, principal chief, chair, and chief. These elections may be held in conjunction with federal, state, or local elections, but are often held independently under the authority of the tribe's office of elections. In the US, elections are actually conducted by local authorities, working under local, state, and federal law and regulation, as well as
14500-436: The use of an enabling act is a traditional historic practice, a number of territories have drafted constitutions for submission to Congress absent an enabling act and were subsequently admitted. Upon acceptance of that constitution and meeting any additional congressional stipulations, Congress has always admitted that territory as a state. In addition to the original 13, six subsequent states were never an organized territory of
14625-581: The voter registration process easier by providing uniform registration services through drivers' license registration centers, disability centers, schools, libraries, and mail-in registration. Other states allow citizens same-day registration on Election Day. An estimated 50 million Americans are unregistered. It has been reported that registering to vote poses greater obstacles for low-income citizens, racial minorities and linguistic minorities , Native Americans , and persons with disabilities . International election observers have called on authorities in
14750-405: The winner being determined by votes cast by electors of the Electoral College . In modern times, voters in each state select a slate of electors from a list of several slates designated by different parties or candidates, and the electors typically promise in advance to vote for the candidates of their party (whose names of the presidential candidates usually appear on the ballot rather than those of
14875-466: The winner of the statewide election, and the rest (two in Maine and three in Nebraska) go to the highest vote-winner in each of the state's congressional districts. Congress has two chambers : the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate has 100 members, elected for a six-year term in dual-seat constituencies (2 from each state ), with one-third being renewed every two years. The group of
15000-520: Was also delayed over slavery and was settled when it agreed to adopt a gradual abolition plan. Puerto Rico , an unincorporated U.S. territory , refers to itself as the " Commonwealth of Puerto Rico" in the English version of its constitution , and as "Estado Libre Asociado" (literally, Associated Free State) in the Spanish version. As with all U.S. territories, its residents do not have full representation in
15125-425: Was designed to give Eastern states that still had Western land claims (including Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia), to have a veto over whether their western counties could become states, and has served this same function since, whenever a proposal to partition an existing state or states in order that a region within might either join another state or to create a new state has come before Congress. Most of
15250-607: Was developed in the 1960s, with about one-third of votes cast with punch cards in 1980. New York was the last state to phase out lever voting in response to the 2000 Help America Vote Act (HAVA), which allocated funds for the replacement of lever machine and punch card voting equipment. New York replaced its lever voting with optical scanning in 2010. In the 1960s, technology was developed that enabled paper ballots filled with pencil or ink to be optically scanned rather than hand-counted. In 1980, about 2% of votes used optical scanning; this increased to 30% by 2000 and 60% by 2008. In
15375-570: Was held on November 6, 2012. Sixty one percent (61%) of voters chose the statehood option, while one third of the ballots were submitted blank. On December 11, 2012, the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico enacted a concurrent resolution requesting the President and the Congress of the United States to respond to the referendum of the people of Puerto Rico, held on November 6, 2012, to end its current form of territorial status and to begin
15500-476: Was introduced in 1974 for presidential primaries and elections. The Federal Election Commission , created in 1975 by an amendment to the Federal Election Campaign Act , has the responsibility to disclose campaign finance information, to enforce the provisions of the law such as the limits and prohibitions on contributions, and to oversee the public funding of U.S. presidential elections. Voting in
15625-481: Was not admitted to the Union until 1837, due to a boundary dispute with the adjoining state of Ohio. The Republic of Texas requested annexation to the United States in 1837, but fears about potential conflict with Mexico delayed the admission of Texas for nine years. Statehood for Kansas Territory was held up for several years (1854–61) due to a series of internal violent conflicts involving anti-slavery and pro-slavery factions. West Virginia's bid for statehood
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