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What type of political jurisdiction is created from the bottom up?
city
______ elections tend to have the lowest voter turnout.
Local
Counties in Louisiana are called which of the following?
parishes
Approximately how many special districts are there in the United States?
more than 50,000
Special districts do not encompass which of the following?
National Guard
Which of the following generally does NOT affect the size and scope of local government in a state?
interest group politics
______ tend to be more "general purpose" forms of government.
Both cities and counties
Which of the following types of local government is incorporated under state law to provide governance to a defined geographic area and is generally more compact and more densely populated than counties?
municipalities
Legislative and executive powers are separated in ______ form of local government.
a commission
Which of the following is NOT an element of municipal government?
constitutions
An elected executive and an elected legislature are found in which of the following?
mayor-council system of government
______ systems concentrate executive and legislative powers into a single elected body.
Commission
Potential problems with the commission system of municipal government include which of the following?
Elected officials sometimes make for poor bureaucrats, and elected commissioners become entrenched in their departments.
Town meetings can be problematic because of which of the following?
large populations
______ are a type of government created for a single purpose.
Special districts
States are, within themselves, ______ systems.
Unitary
Which of the following is NOT generally the responsibility of local government?
elections
Most interaction citizens have with government happens at the ______ level.
local
______ states have a particular tradition of active civic participation.
???
a. Southern
b. New England
c. Northern
d. Pacific Northwestern
Geographical subdivisions of state government are known as ______ in most places.
counties
______ are generally distinguished from counties by being more compact and by their status as independent corporations.
Municipalities
Which of the following are you unlikely to find at the local county courthouse?
mayor
The suffix -shire comes from the ______ tradition.
English
Rhode Island and ______ are the only states that have no county governments.
Connecticut
The U.S. county with the smallest population is located in what state?
Hawaii
A ______ tends to be the most politically powerful and influential form of local government.
Both I think?
city
state
______ governments are historically rural governments that help conduct state government business.
County
If you find yourself in a county where the executive, legislative, and administrative powers are vested in elected commissioners, you have found ______ system.
a county commission
Professional executives who manage the day-to-day operations of government are known as ______.
mayors
In the twentieth-century, ineffectiveness and corruption were the reasons many counties shifted away from ______.
commissions
______ are corporations.
cities
In some states, ______ are geographical subdivisions of counties with little power.
townships
In ______, townships are the traditional form of local governance.
New England
The elected executive in a municipality is known as a ______.
mayor
A ______ is to a municipality as a legislature is to a state.
city council
Under what kind of system is a mayor roughly the municipal equivalent of a governor?
strong-mayor system
In which of the following places would one be most likely to find a strong-mayor system?
???
Indiana (book says either in the Northeast and the Midwest and gave an example of Ohio)
In a ______, the mayor has a largely ceremonial position.
weak-mayor system
______ are generally lined up with city council electoral districts.
Wards
What was the first major U.S. city to create a position for a strong manager?
Dayton, Ohio
One drawback of ______ governments is that power and leadership are very diffuse.
commission
Local governments are evenly dispersed geographically.
False
In terms of political system, states and localities share a confederal relationship.
False
A mayor-council form of government blends executive and legislative powers.
False
City councils tend to dominate in a weak mayor system of government.
True
The council-manager system of government is an attempt to separate political and administrative functions.
True
States and localities are in a unitary relationship, with localities dependent on states for power.
True
At-large elections are elections in which city or county voters vote for council or commission members.
True
People tend to trust local government more than state or federal government.
True
Governments below the state level tend to be incredibly organized.
False
State governments can abolish county governments.
True
Municipalities (Vocab)
Political jurisdictions, such as cities, villages, or towns, incorporated under state law to provide governance to defined geographical areas; more compact and more densely populated than counties.
Counties (Vocab)
Geographical subdivisions of state government
County Commission System (Vocab)
A form of county governance in which executive, legislative, and administrative powers are vested in elected commissioners.
Council-Executive System (Vocab)
A form of county governance in which legislative powers are vested in a county commission and executive powers are vested in an independently elected executive.
Commission-Administrator System (Vocab)
A form of county governance in which executive and legislative powers reside with an elected commission, which hires a professional executive to manage the day-to-day operations of government.
Cities (vocab)
Incorporated political jurisdictions formed to provide self-governance to particular localities.
Townships (Vocab)
Local governments whose powers, governance structure, and legal status vary considerably from state to state. In some states, townships function as general-purpose municipalities; in others, they are geographical subdivisions of counties with few responsibilities and little power.
Mayor (vocab)
The elected chief executive of a municipality
city council (vocab)
A municipality's legislature
City Manager (vocab)
An official appointed to be the chief administrator of a municipality
mayor-council system (vocab)
A form of municipal governance in which there is an elected executive and an elected legislature.
Strong-Mayor System (vocab)
A municipal government in which the mayor has the power to perform the executive functions of government.
Weak-Mayor System (vocab)
A municipal government in which the mayor lacks true executive powers, such as the ability to veto council decisions or appoint department heads.
Ward (vocab)
A division of a municipality, usually representing an electoral district of the city council.
Council-Manager System (vocab)
A form of municipal governance in which the day-to-day administration of government is carried out by a professional administrator.
City commission system (vocab)
A form of municipal governance in which executive, legislative, and administrative powers are vested in elected city commissioners.
Town Meeting Form of Government (Vocab)
A form of governance in which legislative powers are held by the local citizens
special district (vocab)
A local governmental unit created for a single purpose, such as water distribution
Dillon's Rule (1868) (vocab)
The legal principle that says local governments can exercise only the powers granted to them by the state government.
Home rule (vocab)
The right of a locality to self-government, usually granted through a charter.
Charter (vocab)
A document that outlines the powers, organization, and responsibilities of a local government.
general-act charters (vocab)
A charter that grants powers, such as home rule, to all municipal governments within a state.
special-act charter (vocab)
A charter that grants powers, such as home rule, to a single municipal government.
Ward or District Elections (vocab)
Elections in which voters in municipal wards vote for candidates to represent them on councils or commissions
At-large elections (vocab)
Elections in which city or county voters vote for council or commission members from any part of the jurisdiction.
Note 
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