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government is divided into three branches: the legislative,

executive, and judicial. Each branch has an important

function:

■ The legislative branch makes laws.

■ The executive branch carries out laws.

■ The judicial branch interprets laws.

The U.S. Constitution also allows each branch to place

controls or limits on the power of the other two

branches, so that no one branch dominates. This frame￾work is called the system of checks and balances. For

example, the legislature (U.S. Congress) may pass a bill,

but before it can become law, the executive (the presi￾dent) must sign it. The president can refuse it by vetoing

it. However, Congress can still pass the bill into law—in

an action called overriding the veto—if two-thirds of its

members vote for it. (See table at bottom of this page.)

State and Local Governments

State governments resemble the framework of the federal

government. The governor acts as the chief executive and

can veto legislation. Most states have legislatures made of

two houses, and each state has its own court system, con￾stitution, and a system of checks and balances. Local gov￾ernments vary from the state and federal model. There

are three basic forms of local government:

Mayor-council—in this form, voters elect a

mayor as city or town executive and they elect

a council member from each specific ward.

Council-manager—in this form, voters elect

council members, who, in turn, hire a manager

to run the day-to-day operations of the city or

town.

Commission—in this form, voters elect commis￾sioners to head a city or county department,

like the fire, police, or public works

department.

State governments must approve and grant power to, or

charter, all town and city governments.

Political Parties

Although the U.S. Constitution does not mention the

existence of political parties, they have played an influ￾ential role throughout most of the country’s history. A

political party is an organization that presents its posi￾tions on public issues and promotes candidates that sup￾port its point of view.

–CIVICS AND GOVERNMENT–

145

STRUCTURE OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

Executive Branch President ■ A president is elected by the voters for four-year term.

Vice President ■ A president cannot serve more than two terms.

Agencies ■ Vice president becomes head of state if the president

Departments becomes disabled or dies in office.

■ Agencies carry out a president’s policies and provide special

services.

■ Department heads advise a president and carry out policies.

Legislative Branch U.S. Congress: ■ Number of representatives for each state is based on the

House of population of that state.

Representatives ■ Representatives serve two-year terms.

Senate ■ Each state has two senators.

■ Senators serve six-year terms.

Judicial Branch U.S. Supreme Court ■ U.S. Supreme Court is the highest court in the nation.

Circuit Courts ■ The president appoints the nine justices of the Supreme Court.

of Appeals ■ Term is for life.

Federal District Courts