The United
States System Of Government
The United
States is a representative democracy with 50 states. Most of its government
officials are elected by popular vote (a simple majority).
The President
is elected based on the total number of electoral votes,
which differs by state. If a candidate wins a total of 270 electoral
votes, that candidate generally wins.
There
are three branches of government:
1. The
Executive Branch: The President (4-year elected term), the Cabinet
(the president's advisors), the Military and the Executive Agencies
(e.g. the INS, the Food and Drug Administration, the Federal Trade Commission,
the Federal Communications Commission)
2. The
Legislative Branch: consists of two houses, the Congress and the
Senate. "The people" elect Congressmen and Senators from their
district every 6 years. These bodies make bills into law.
3. The
Judicial Branch: the Supreme Court (the highest court in the land),
the Federal Circuit Courts and Courts of Appeal, and the lower District
Courts. The courts (judge and jury of 12 citizens) decide innocence
or guilt (or liability) based on the facts of a case.
The U.S.
government is based on a system of checks and balances among the above
three branches. This system is designed to create a fair and equitable
system of government that works to prevent the concentration of power
in any one branch and therefore uphold democracy. When the federal and
legislative branches conflict, for example, the case may be heard in
the Supreme Court.
Each state
and locality in turn maintains its own three branches:
- the
executive branch: the governor and state agencies
- the
legislative branch: the state assembly with two chambers (except Nebraska,
which has only 1)
- the
judicial branch: the state and county courts
