2.1 Federalism and Civic Engagement

check your understanding

Federalism

-two relatively autonomous levels of government, each possessing the capacity to act directly on behalf of the people with the authority granted to it by the national constitution

-e.g; state vs federal government help run the U.S

Elastic Clause

-Last Clause of Article I, Section 8

-Enables the national government to “Make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying out all its constitutional responsibilities

-Has allowed the national government to expand its authority beyond what was specified in the Constitution

Supremacy Clause (article VI)

-Proclaimed that the Constitution, laws made by congress, and treaties made by the federal government were the “Supreme Law of the Land”

-if a conflict arises between state and national government, the national government would triumph

Immigration Federalism

-Gradual movement of states into the immigration policy domain, which has been traditionally handled by the federal government

Five Characteristics of a Federal System of Government

1. Two levels of government, both elected by the people, and each level assigned diff functions

2. A written constitution that cannot be changed without the consent of subnational governments

3. Legislative, judicial and executive authority is allocated to the two levels of government to ensure each level some autonomy from each other

4. National courts commonly resolve disputes between levels and departments of government

5. Subnational governments are always represented in the upper house of the national legislature, enabling regional interests to influence national law-making

Venue Shopping

Refers to a strategy in which interest groups select the level and branch of government (legislature, judiciary, or executive) they calculate will be most advantageous

Voting Policies

Most policies that govern how people vote are determined at the state or local level rather than at the national level.