State Governments

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." — Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

States have broad powers to legislate certain aspects of life and society within their borders, wielding the power to do everything from levying taxes to setting highway speed limits. Political battles have long raged over how much power the Tenth Amendment should delegate to the states; some argue in favor of expanded federal powers, while others have gone so far as to call for a return of the confederation—a loose relationship between independent states rather than one unified country.

The legislative branch in each state largely mirrors the U.S. Congress, consisting of a lower chamber (the House) and an upper chamber (the Senate). The only exception to the rule is Nebraska, where the legislature is unicameral (single chamber) consisting of 33 members who call themselves senators.

Voters in each state elect a governor to oversee the executive branch. Every governor has the power to sign or veto the laws passed by their legislature. Vetoes (and veto overrides by the legislature) are common in states with divided government, where one party controls the legislature while the other party holds the governor's mansion.