Section 1
I live in the state of Texas and I have come to understand the way the local government operates. Just like all the other states in the US, Texas has its own constitution, which defines the various legal aspects of daily life among its citizens. The state of Texas has established and fully functional governments at the county and municipal levels. Five commissioners; four of whom are elected from single-member districts and a county judge who is elected at-large, run the county governments. The county governments provide public safety and manage the jails where lawbreakers are housed for rehabilitation. The county governments also keep deeds and other documents of public importance. Additionally, the county governments are in charge of regulating and providing environmental, health and other social services for the residents of the specific counties in the state of Texas (Texas Association of Counties). I always rely on the county government of my local area for all my security concerns. Besides, the counties in the state of Texas manage the educational sector of the state, which implies that the county governments have been vital in enabling my friends and I to access the basic levels of education. On the other hand, the municipal governments in the state of Texas are led by mayors who are elected by the residents of each city in the state. The municipal [governments in the state provide basic services like sanitation and control the building of structures in every city in the state of Texas.
Section 2
Just like in all the states in the US, Texas conducts elections regularly as established in both the federal and state constitutions. I voted during the 2012 general elections and it was a wonderful experience knowing that my vote helped steer the state and the US, as a country to its current direction. I also voted during the primaries that were held in March to nominate the presidential aspirants of the two largest parties in the US. I voted for Hillary Clinton of the Democratic Party because I believe her policies and style of leadership are aimed at steering the United States to better standards into the future. I am also registered to vote in the upcoming general elections that will be held in November 2016. My family and I are also keen to vote in the general elections because we believe that the elections of this year will be an important exercise that will determine the way Americans will be viewed globally. I plan to vote for Hillary Clinton because I believe she has a better temperament and she is more qualified to be the US president than Donald Trump, the nominee of the Republican Party. Most of my friends and my other family members will also be voting for Hillary and the Democratic Party. However, nobody is interested in running for any office in the upcoming general elections although that has been a topic for future that we have discussed to consider in future. Certainly, it will be an honor to serve in the county or municipal government as an elected member.
Section 3
I am from Austin and my current district representative is Don Zimmerman. My state senator is Sylvia Garcia, while my state representative is Bill Flores. It is important to know my representatives in the various state and federal elective offices because they are elected to serve all the people of Austin. Knowing the elected officials enhances the ability of those elected officials to understand my personal needs and worries as a constituent of Austin, an aspect that could enhance the efforts to address the various problems and development issues in the state. It is important to vote for the different individuals who represent Americans in the various legislative and executive offices because it is the fulfillment of the democratic responsibility of citizens. By voting, I enhance the spirit of creating a democratic government that will serve all people equally regardless of the various differences that define societies in the US.
Section 4
The United States of America, lauded as the greatest country in the world, will be electing its president in the upcoming general elections in November. One of the duties of the president is determine who sits in the bench of judges at the US Supreme Court. Considering that it is the highest court in the land, Supreme Court justices ought to be chosen keenly to ensure that the freedoms and liberties that the US constitution guarantees are protected. It means that the president who will be elected in November will be influential in determining who sits in the Supreme Court bench. Personally, I would like to see Hillary Clinton elected as president because she has exhibited a mature and responsible way of dealing with issues related to justice. Donald Trump, the Republican challenger, has abused a judge that being a Mexican, he was to deliver a biased verdict on his fraudulent university case (Twohey). Considering all fact, Trump may appoint judges who may fail to uphold the US constitution as effectively as required.
The selection of judges in the state of Texas occurs through partisan elections (The American Judicature Society). The judges serve for a term defined by a specific number of years after which they ought to seek re-election to retain their positions as judges. I believe that this system of selecting judges is effective and important because it helps the Texan citizens and residents gauge the abilities of each individual judge.
The Supreme Court and the Court of Criminal Appeals are the highest courts in the court system of Texas. The Supreme Court hears appeals touching on civil matters while the court of criminal appeals hears appeals in which the penal code has to be interpreted, meaning that it hears criminal cases.
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Works Cited
Texas Association of Counties,. "Texas County Government". www.county.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 5 Aug. 2016.
The American Judicature Society,. "Judicial Selection In The States - Methods Of Judicial Selection - Texas". Web.archive.org. N.p., 2014. Web. 5 Aug. 2016.
Twohey, Michael. "A Biased Judge? Donald Trump Has Claimed It Before". Nytimes.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 5 Aug. 2016.
