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A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or be subject to the direct control of the federal government. This relationship may be defined by a constitution. The reference to "state" denotes country subdivisions that are officially or widely known as "states", and should not be confused with a "sovereign state".
The secretary of state is an official in the state governments of 47 of the 50 states of the United States, as well as Puerto Rico and other U.S. possessions. In Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, this official is called the secretary of the commonwealth. In states that have one, the secretary of state is the chief administrative ...
Every state except for Nebraska has a bicameral legislature, meaning it comprises two chambers. The unicameral Nebraska Legislature is commonly called the "Senate", and its members are officially called "Senators". In the majority of states (26), the state legislature is simply called "Legislature".
Every state has an attorney general, who is the chief legal advisor to the state government and the state's chief law enforcement officer, analogous to the United States Attorney General. 43 of the states directly elect their attorney general, while the others are selected by the governor, legislature, or state supreme court. [4]
This is a list of U.S. statewide elected executive officials.These state constitutional officers have their duties and qualifications mandated in state constitutions. This list does not include those elected to serve in non-executive branches of government, such as justices or clerks of the state supreme courts or at-large members of the state legislatures.
For instance, a state legislature could establish an agency to manage environmental conservation efforts within that state. In some states, state legislators elect other officials, such as governor. State legislatures often have power to regulate businesses operating within their jurisdiction. They also regulate courts within their jurisdiction.
While the Constitution does set parameters for the election of federal officials, state law, not federal, regulates most aspects of elections in the U.S., including primaries, the eligibility of voters (beyond the basic constitutional definition), the running of each state's electoral college, as well as the running of state and local elections.
[nb 1] While like all officials in the United States, checks and balances are placed on the office of the governor, significant powers may include ceremonial head of state (representing the state), executive (overseeing the state's government), legislative (proposing, and signing or vetoing laws), judicial (granting state law pardons or ...