5 Main Categories by which all State constitutions can be described
1. popular sovereignty & limited government
2. protections of civil rights
3. structure of state government
4. powers of the branches of State government
5. process of constitutional change
Amending the State constitutions
Amendments can be proposed by:
1. constitutional convention
2. legislature
3. voters
Amendments can be ratified by:
A vote of the people
Statutory and Fundamental Law
Statutory laws
- laws passed by the legislature
Fundamental laws
- laws of basic and lasting importance that should be in a constitution
Terms
Popular Sovereignty
- The people are the sole source of the government’s power
Limited Government
- Powers that the government has are limited
Initiative
- process by which voters sign a petition favoring a proposal
Ohio's Constitution (click on link to see) http://www.cpofohio.org/PDF/OhioStateConstitution.pdf
Ohio Constitution video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=INdacL_mKkU&spfreload=5