Power Has Many Addresses
When Americans think of politics, they may picture the president or Congress. But the country’s governing system is distributed across an enormous network of institutions. The federal government shares sovereignty with 50 states, and each state contains layers of local government beneath it.
In 2022, the United States had 90,837 local governments. They included 3,031 counties, 19,491 municipalities, 16,214 townships, 12,546 school districts, and 39,555 other special districts.
The State-Level Republics
Each state has an executive branch led by a governor, a legislature, and a judiciary. States can legislate on subjects not assigned exclusively to the federal government, including education, family law, contracts, and most crimes. Their constitutions generally resemble the federal model but are often more detailed.
States also differ dramatically. Nebraska has a unicameral legislature, while other states use two chambers. Counties may run transportation, housing, welfare, or elections—or function mainly as judicial districts. Connecticut and Rhode Island have eliminated county governments entirely.
The Government You Encounter
Local governments provide many services people notice first: police and fire protection, public schools, health rules, roads, housing, and public transportation. Cities may be run by elected mayors and councils, commissions that combine legislative and executive authority, or councils that hire professional city managers.
Some places are not municipalities at all. Unincorporated areas, such as Paradise, Nevada, operate without a local government below the county level. Special districts exist for focused tasks, especially education.
The memorable implication is that American politics is not one machine in Washington. It is a federation of overlapping governments, each powerful enough to shape ordinary life.