A constitution is a plan for a government.
It The constitution says what a government is supposed to do.
Even small local governments have their local governments' own constitutions.
One way state constitutions are alike is that all of them the state constitutions call for three branches of government.
These The three branches of government are the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch.
All three of them the branches of government are supposed to have the same amount of power.
Each of them the branches of government has jobs to do.
The executive branch includes the governor, his or her the governor's staff, the lieutenant governor, and the secretary of state.
It The executive branch is led by the governor.
He or she The governor is elected by the citizens of the state.
The governor of a state sets a budget that controls how its the state's money is spent.
The governor's position in the state government is similar to that the position of the president in the national government.
The governor is like the president because the governor has to approve new laws for them the new laws to go into effect.
The legislative branch of a state writes its the state's laws.
Its The legislative branch's members are elected by the voters of a state.
They The members of the legislative branch can be either senators or representatives.
These people The members of the legislative branch are called legislators.
Their The legislators' job is similar to the job of the legislature at the federal level.
This The legislature at the federal level is called the United States Congress.
The third branch of a state government is the judicial branch.
It The judicial branch includes judges who use the laws of the state to make decisions.
They The judges can be elected by voters or appointed by governors.
Judges decide whether laws follow the state constitution and whether they the laws are being applied fairly.