1. Arizona Government

2. 3 Branches
Like the Federal Government, Arizona has it’s own Constitution
Arizona’s Government is divided into 3 branches
Legislative
Executive
Judicial

3. Legislative Branch Arizona is divided into 9 congressional districts
We have 9 representatives in Congress
It is also divided into 30 legislative districts which make up the Arizona Legislature
Each district has one senator and two representatives
They serve part time, 2 year terms, with a 4 term limit
The Arizona Legislature is like “Arizona’s Congress”
They make laws for our state only

4. Executive Branch This branch enforces the laws Governor Terms
The Chief Executive is the . . .
Governor
They are in control of the state budget
They can sign or veto bills
Terms
They serve a 4 year term, with a 2 term limit
They may run again after a 4 year break

5. Judicial Branch This is the state’s court system
There are 3 levels: Supreme, Court of Appeals, Superior
The Supreme Court is the highest level
It has 7 justices
Justices are appointed by the governor and serve 6 year terms

6. Direct Democracy

7. Quick Review
Indirect Democracy (Republic) – People choose representatives to make the laws for them
Direct Democracy – the people vote on a proposed laws themselves
(There is no direct democracy on the national level – the country is too big)

8. Direct Democracy in Arizona allows people to:
Vote directly on laws and amendments to the state constitution
Remove elected officials from office

9. Initiative
Initiative allows citizens to make laws directly without the legislature or governor
People gather signatures on petitions to get proposal place on election ballot
These laws appear on the ballot as propositions
Example on 2016 ballot: Prop 206
Raised minimum wage to $12 by 2020

10. Referendum
A referendum is when citizens review (vote on) a new law or state constitutional amendment after the state legislature has passed it
These also appear on the ballot as propositions
Example: Prop 123
Increased education funding over the course of 10 years

11. Recall
Recall allows people to vote to keep or remove an elected official
It forces a special election
The highest vote-getter in this election gets to complete the remainder of the term
A recall first requires petition signatures equal to 25% of the total vote for that office in the last election
Recall cannot be started until the official has been in office for at least 6 months

12. Problems with Direct Democracy
It requires a lot of time, effort and money to be successful
Not many people vote on initiative and referendum issues
A “Yes/no” vote leaves no opportunity for compromise or change
The best protection against bad laws????
Citizens who are aware!!

13. Registering to Vote in AZ

14. Voting Qualifications
You must:
Be a United States citizen
Be a resident of the Arizona county listed on your registration form
Be 18 years of age on the day of the next election
Have registered to vote at least 29 days before the election
Have had your voting rights restored if you have been convicted of a felony
NOT be declared “incompetent” by a court