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Arizona GovernmentSTATE GOVERNMENT
Legislative authority is vested in a 30-member senate and a 60-member house of representatives. Legislative sessions are annual. Special sessions, which are not limited in duration, may be called by petition of two-thirds the membership of each house. All senators and representatives serve two-year terms and are chosen at the general election in November of each even-numbered year. A legislator must be a US citizen, at least 25 years old, and must have been an Arizona resident for at least three years and a member of their district for at least a year. Chief executive officials of the Arizona government elected statewide include the governor, secretary of state (the designated successor to the governor, as there is not lieutenant governor), treasurer, attorney general, and superintendent of public instruction, all of whom serve 4-year terms. The governor is limited to a maximum of two consecutive terms. The three members of the Corporation Commission, which regulates public services and utilities, are elected for staggered six-year terms, and the state mine inspector is elected for two years. Candidates for executive office must have been US citizens for at least ten years, must be at least 25 years old, and must have been a citizen of Arizona for at least five years. Bills may originate in either house of the legislature and must be passed by both houses and approved by the governor in order to become law. A two-thirds vote of the elected members in each house is necessary to override the governor's veto. If the governor fails to sign or veto a bill, it becomes law after five days (Sundays excluded) or ten days after the legislature has adjourned. Under the initiative procedure, legislation and proposed constitutional amendments can be placed on the ballot by petition. The petition must be signed by 15% of total votes cast for all candidates for governor at the last election. Constitutional amendments proposed in the legislature are ratified by a majority vote of the electorate. In order to vote in Arizona, a person must be 18 years old, a US citizen, and must have been a resident of the state for at least 29 days prior to the next election. Restrictions apply to convicted felons and those declared mentally incapacitated by the court. LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Other local governmental units are cities, charter cities, and towns (communities with populations under 3,000). Towns generally follow the council-mayor form of government. All of Arizona's largest cities are charter cities. In all, there were 638 local Arizona government units in 2002, of which 87 were municipal governments. There were 305 special districts. As of 2002, the state had 245 school systems. Each of the 21 Indian reservations in Arizona has a tribal council or board with members elected by the people. 
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The current constitution of Arizona, drafted in 1910 at the height of the Progressive era, contained reform provisions that were very advanced for the time; initiative, referendum, workers' compensation, short terms for elected officials, suffrage for women, and the barring of trusts and monopolies from the state. The constitution was adopted in 1911 and had been amended 133 times January 2003.
Each of Arizona's 15 counties has a sheriff, county attorney, county recorder, treasurer, assessor, superintendent of schools, and three or five supervisors, each elected to a four-year term. Counties act as agents of the state.
