State and local legislators are elected or sometimes appointed to represent an area or district
of the state for a period of time as determined by the state’s constitution. Legislators normally
have their main office in the state capital and another office in the area or district that they
represent. Legislators speak with their constituents concerns and work to propose legislation that
will meet their needs. They draft bills that are voted on by different committees and sent to the
main legislative body for a final approval to make the bill a law. They split their time from the
state office for meetings and when the full assembly is in session and meeting with constituents
in their district.
Affiliation with a political party and involvement with that party is required as a legislator.
They need an endorsement from the party that they wish to represent prior to the election. Some
legislators can choose to run independent from a party but have a much more difficult path to
win the election. Some legislators serve for several terms, but others are limited in the number of
terms that they can serve. Many legislators take other positions once their term limit is reached
so that they can continue serving their constituents.
Legislators have to work with the executive branch leadership (governor). This can be an
amicable relationship of the legislator and governor are representing the same party. However, it
can also be one of turmoil if they are on opposing sides of the political spectrum. The latter can
result in difficulty in passing any new laws and moving forward with any plans to better the state
districts that the legislators represent.
WORD COUNT 278
Bowman, A. & Kearney, R. (2018). State and Local Government, 10th Edition. Boston: Cengage
Learning.
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