Government of Ohio

Last updated

The government of the U.S. state of Ohio consists of the executive, [1] judicial, [2] and legislative [3] branches. Its basic structure is set forth in the Constitution and law of Ohio.

Contents

Executive branch

The daily administration of the state’s laws are carried out by six elected statewide officials; the chief executive the Governor, and their second in command the Lieutenant Governor, the Secretary Of State, the Attorney General, the State Treasurer, the State Auditor, and by the staff and employees of the executive branch agencies.

All are elected statewide for four-year terms, all on a partisan ballot, with the Governor and Lieutenant Governor elected on a single ticket.

Departments

The state government is primarily organized into several cabinet or administrative departments: [4] [5]

Notices and proposed rules are published in the Register of Ohio , [6] which are codified in the Ohio Administrative Code (OAC). [7] [8]

Legislative branch

The House of Representatives Chamber of the Ohio Statehouse Ohio House of Representatives.jpg
The House of Representatives Chamber of the Ohio Statehouse

The legislative branch, the Ohio General Assembly, is made up of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The House of Representatives is composed of 99 members elected from single-member districts of equal population. Each of the 33 senate districts is formed by combining three house districts. Senators serve four-year staggered terms and representatives serve two-year terms. The General Assembly, with the approval of the Governor, draws the U.S. congressional district lines for Ohio's 16 seats in the United States House of Representatives. The Ohio Apportionment Board draws state legislative district lines in Ohio.

In order to be enacted into law, a bill must be adopted by both houses of the General Assembly and signed by the Governor. If the Governor vetoes a bill, the General Assembly can override the veto with a three-fifths supermajority of both houses. A bill will also become a law if the Governor fails to sign or veto it within 10 days of its being presented. The session laws are published in the official Laws of Ohio . [9] These in turn have been codified in the Ohio Revised Code . [10]

Judicial branch

The judicial branch is headed by the Ohio Supreme Court, which has one chief justice and six associate justices, each elected to staggered six-year terms.

The Ohio Supreme Court building in Columbus Ohio Supreme Court.jpg
The Ohio Supreme Court building in Columbus

There are several other levels of elected judiciary in the Ohio court system:

Judges in Ohio are generally elected, except for the Court of Claims, for which judges sit by assignment of the chief justice. When there are temporary vacancies in elected judgeships, those vacancies are also filled by assignment by the chief justice.

Local government

Columbus City Hall Columbus-ohio-city-hall.jpg
Columbus City Hall

There are also several levels of local government in Ohio: counties, municipalities (cities and villages), townships, special districts and school districts.

Ohio is divided into 88 counties. [11] Ohio law defines a structure for county government, although they may adopt charters for home rule. [12] [13] Summit County [12] and Cuyahoga County [14] have chosen an alternate form of government. The other counties have a government with a three-member board of county commissioners, [15] a sheriff, [16] coroner, [17] auditor, [18] treasurer, [19] clerk of the court of common pleas [20] prosecutor, [21] engineer, [22] and recorder. [23]

There are two kinds of incorporated municipalities, 251 cities and 681 villages. [12] [24] [25] If a municipality has five thousand or more residents as of the last United States Census it is a city, otherwise it is a village. [12] [26] Municipalities have full home rule powers, may adopt a charter, ordinances and resolutions for self-government. [27] Each municipality chooses its own form of government, but most have elected mayors and city councils or city commissions. City governments provide much more extensive services than county governments, such as police forces and paid (as opposed to volunteer) fire departments.

Cleveland City Hall Cleveland City Hall in 2012.jpg
Cleveland City Hall

The entire area of the state is encompassed by townships. [12] When the boundaries of a township are coterminous with the boundaries of a city or village, the township ceases to exist as a separate government (called a paper township). [12] Townships are governed by a three-member board of township trustees. [12] Townships may have limited home rule powers. [28]

There are more than 600 city, local, and exempted village school districts providing K-12 education in Ohio, as well as about four dozen joint vocation school districts which are separate from the K-12 districts. Each city school district, local school district, or exempted village school district is governed by an elected board of education. [12] A school district previously under state supervision (municipal school district) may be governed by a board whose members either are elected or appointed by the mayor of the municipality containing the greatest portion of the district's area. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ohio</span> U.S. state

Ohio is a state in the Midwestern United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area. With a population of nearly 11.8 million, Ohio is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated state. Its capital and largest city is Columbus, with other large population centers including Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton, Akron, and Toledo. Ohio is bordered by Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the west, and Michigan to the northwest. Ohio is nicknamed the "Buckeye State" after its Ohio buckeye trees, and Ohioans are also known as "Buckeyes". Its state flag is the only non-rectangular flag of all the U.S. states.

The government of California is the governmental structure of the U.S. state of California as established by the California Constitution. California uses the separation of powers system to structure its government. It is composed of three branches: the executive, consisting of the governor of California and the other constitutionally elected and appointed officers and offices; the legislative, consisting of the California State Legislature, which includes the Assembly and the Senate; and the judicial, consisting of the Supreme Court of California and lower courts. There is also local government, consisting of counties, cities, special districts, and school districts, as well as government entities and offices that operate independently on a constitutional, statutory, or common law basis. The state also allows direct participation of the electorate by initiative, referendum, recall and ratification.

The statutes of the State of Ohio have established 26 departments of government which are responsible to the Governor. These departments are led by the Director, or in some cases the Commissioner, who must inform and assist the governor in the operation of the state. After the governor appoints the potential director, they must be affirmed by the Ohio Senate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ohio county government</span> Legal and administrative structure of counties in Ohio

Ohio county government is the structure of official managerial and legal bodies of the counties of Ohio, USA. It is marked by a loose organization and a diffusion of power, the basic framework not having been changed since the nineteenth century. The Ohio Constitution allows counties to set up a charter government as many cities and villages do, but only Summit and Cuyahoga counties have done so. Counties operating under a constitutional government do not possess home rule powers and can do only what has been expressly authorized by the Ohio General Assembly. However, Article X of the Ohio Constitution gives county government benefits similar to those conferred on cities and villages under the home rule amendments of 1912.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government of Florida</span> Government of a U.S. state

The government of Florida is established and operated according to the Constitution of Florida and is composed of three branches of government: the executive branch consisting of the governor of Florida and the other elected and appointed constitutional officers; the legislative branch, the Florida Legislature, consisting of the Senate and House; and the judicial branch consisting of the Supreme Court of Florida and lower courts. The state also allows direct participation of the electorate by initiative, referendum, and ratification.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government of Illinois</span> Government of a U.S. state

The Government of Illinois, under Illinois' Constitution, has three branches of government: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. The State's executive branch is split into several statewide elected offices, with the Governor as chief executive and head of state, and has numerous departments, agencies, boards and commissions. Legislative functions are granted to the General Assembly, a bicameral body consisting of the 118-member House of Representatives and the 59-member Senate. The judiciary is composed of the Supreme Court of Illinois and lower courts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government of Texas</span> Government of the U.S. state of Texas

The government of Texas operates under the Constitution of Texas and consists of a unitary democratic state government operating under a presidential system that uses the Dillon Rule, as well as governments at the county and municipal levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government of New Jersey</span> Overview of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey

The government of the State of New Jersey is separated into three distinct branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The powers of the State of New Jersey are vested by the Constitution of New Jersey, enacted in 1947, in a bicameral state legislature, the Governor, and the state courts, headed the New Jersey Supreme Court. The powers and duties of these branches are further defined by acts of the state legislature, including the creation of executive departments and courts inferior to the Supreme Court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Village (United States)</span> Administrative division at the local government level in the United States

In the United States, the meaning of village varies by geographic area and legal jurisdiction. In many areas, "village" is a term, sometimes informal, for a type of administrative division at the local government level. Since the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal government from legislating on local government, the states are free to have political subdivisions called "villages" or not to and to define the word in many ways. Typically, a village is a type of municipality, although it can also be a special district or an unincorporated area. It may or may not be recognized for governmental purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox Township, Carroll County, Ohio</span> Township in Ohio, United States

Fox Township is one of the fourteen townships of Carroll County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 977.

The Government of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is the governmental structure of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as established by the Pennsylvania Constitution. It is composed of three branches: executive, legislative and judicial. The capital of the Commonwealth is Harrisburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government of Indiana</span> State government of the United States

The government of Indiana is established and regulated by the Constitution of Indiana. The state-level government consists of three branches: the judicial branch, the legislative branch, and the executive branch. The three branches share power and jointly govern the state of Indiana. County and local governments are also constitutional bodies with limited authority to levy taxes, pass legislation, and create and maintain local public infrastructure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government of Michigan</span> Executive, legislative, and judicial governing bodies of the US state of Michigan

Michigan has a republican form of government with three branches of government: the executive branch consisting of the governor of Michigan and the other independently elected constitutional officers; the legislative branch consisting of the House of Representatives and Senate; and the judicial branch consisting of the one court of justice. The state also allows direct participation of the electorate by initiative, referendum, recall, and ratification.

Local government in New Jersey is composed of counties and municipalities. Local jurisdictions in New Jersey differ from those in some other states because every square foot of the state is part of exactly one municipality; each of the 564 municipalities is in exactly one county; and each of the 21 counties has more than one municipality. New Jersey has no independent cities, or consolidated city-counties.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is governed by a set of political tenets laid down in its state constitution. Legislative power is held by the bicameral General Court, which is composed of the Senate and House of Representatives. The governor exercises executive power with other independently elected officers: the Attorney General, Secretary of the Commonwealth, and Auditor. The state's judicial power rests in the Supreme Judicial Court, which manages its court system. Cities and towns act through local governmental bodies to the extent that they are authorized by the Commonwealth on local issues, including limited home-rule authority. Although most county governments were abolished during the 1990s and 2000s, a handful remain.

Local government in Pennsylvania is government below the state level in Pennsylvania. There are six types of local governments listed in the Pennsylvania Constitution: county, township, borough, town, city, and school district. All of Pennsylvania is included in one of the state's 67 counties, which are in total subdivided into 2,560 municipalities. There are currently no independent cities or unincorporated territories within Pennsylvania. There is only one incorporated town in Pennsylvania, Bloomsburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government of North Carolina</span> Government of the U.S. state of North Carolina

The government of North Carolina is divided into three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. These consist of the Council of State, the bicameral legislature, and the state court system. The Constitution of North Carolina delineates the structure and function of the state government.

The government of Washington State is the governmental structure of the State of Washington, United States, as established by the Constitution of the State of Washington. The executive is composed of the Governor, several other statewide elected officials and the Governor's cabinet. The Washington State Legislature consists of the House of Representatives and State Senate. The judiciary is composed of the Washington Supreme Court and lower courts. There is also local government, consisting of counties, municipalities and special districts.

The law of Ohio consists of several levels, including constitutional, statutory, and regulatory, local and common law. The Ohio Revised Code forms the general statutory law.

The administrative divisions of Ohio are counties, municipalities, townships, special districts, and school districts.

References

  1. ↑ Constitution of Ohio, Part 3, Section 1
  2. ↑ Constitution of Ohio, Part 4, Section 1
  3. ↑ Constitution of Ohio, Part 2, Section 1
  4. ↑ Gargan, John J. (1994). "The Ohio Executive Branch". In Sharkey, Mary Anne (ed.). Ohio Politics. Kent State University Press. pp. 263–264. ISBN   0-87338-509-8. LCCN   94-7637.
  5. ↑ Ohio Revised Code § 121.01 et seq. Ohio Revised Code § 5703.01 et seq. Ohio Revised Code § 3301.13.
  6. ↑ Smith, Lori L.; Barkley, Daniel C.; Cornwall, Daniel C.; Johnson, Eric W.; Malcomb, J. Louise (2003). Tapping State Government Information Sources. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 306. ISBN   1-57356-387-0. LCCN   2002044846.
  7. ↑ Putnam, Melanie K.; Schaefgen, Susan M. (1997). Ohio Legal Research Guide . Wm. S. Hein Publishing. p.  198. ISBN   1-57588-087-3. LCCN   96-16186.
  8. ↑ "Ohio Legal Research" (PDF). Supreme Court of Ohio . Retrieved 30 August 2013.
  9. ↑ Putnam & Schaefgen 1997, pp. 31–32.
  10. ↑ Putnam & Schaefgen 1997, pp. 65–66.
  11. ↑ Individual State Descriptions: 2007 (PDF), 2007 Census of Governments, United States Census Bureau, November 2012, p. 235
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Census 2007, p. 235.
  13. ↑ Putnam & Schaefgen 1997, pp.  106–114.
  14. ↑ "Charter" (PDF). council.cuyahogacounty.us. 2018. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
  15. ↑ Ohio Revised Code § 305.01 et seq.
  16. ↑ Ohio Revised Code § 311.01
  17. ↑ Ohio Revised Code § 313.01
  18. ↑ Ohio Revised Code § 319.01
  19. ↑ Ohio Revised Code § 321.01
  20. ↑ Ohio Revised Code § 2303.01
  21. ↑ Ohio Revised Code § 309.01
  22. ↑ Ohio Revised Code § 315.01
  23. ↑ Ohio Revised Code § 317.01
  24. ↑ Ohio Secretary of State. The Ohio Municipal, Township and School Board Roster.
  25. ↑ Bureau, U. S. Census. "American FactFinder - Results". factfinder.census.gov. Archived from the original on 2017-12-03. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
  26. ↑ "Ohio Revised Code Section 703.01(A)" . Retrieved 2007-09-12.
  27. ↑ Putnam & Schaefgen 1997, pp. 106–114.
  28. ↑ Putnam & Schaefgen 1997, pp. 110–111.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.