Arizonas Government Make Up

If you live near downtown Phoenix, Arizona or visit, it is worth a stop at the Capitol building and complex. Out front is the beautifully-landscaped Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza, named after one of the state’s former governors who died in office in the 1970s. The site is also home to many memorials and monuments, including the anchor and signal mast from the USS Arizona (one of the United States Navy ships sunk in Pearl Harbor). The original Capitol building, with its impressive copper dome, is still there too; it was finished in 1900 to the tune of $136,000, and dedicated the following year. This building is now a museum.

The Arizona Legislature is made up of a 30-member Senate and a 60-member House of Representatives. Legislators are elected for two-year terms, and each Legislature/legislative session covers a two-year period, starting each year on the second Monday in January. Both senators and representatives are limited to four consecutive terms in a chamber, although there is no limit on the total number of terms served.

Arizona’s executive branch is headed by a governor who is currently allowed to serve an unlimited number of terms, but no more than two in a row. A few little-known factoids related to Arizona’s governorship: Arizona is one of just a handful states in the country that does not have a governor’s mansion. Arizona has had four female governors, which is more than any other state. Arizona is one of just seven states without a lieutenant governor. Here, the Secretary of State is first-in-line to take over the governorship in the event of resignation, removal from office, death or disability.

The Arizona Supreme Court is the highest court in the state. The court currently is made up of a Chief Justice, a Vice Chief Justice and three associate justices. Each one is appointed by the governor from a list suggested by a bi-partisan commission, and each can be re-elected two years after his or her appointment. The Arizona Court of Appeals is the intermediate court in the state and is comprised of two divisions, one in Phoenix and one in Tucson.

Arizona is divided into 15 counties ranging in size from just over 1,200 square miles to almost 19,000 square miles. Maricopa County contains about 60 percent of the state’s population, and historically, Maricopa County tends to vote Republican in many elections. Meanwhile, Pima County, which is home to Tucson and most of southern Arizona, has traditionally voted more Democratic.