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| the basic legal and political document of a state; it prescribes the rules through which government operates |
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| the legislature's dominance of the other two branches of government |
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| an ideal of the structure and contents of a state constitution, emphasizing brevity and broad functions and responsibilities of government |
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| a state constitutional tradition based on detailed provisions and procedures |
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| a state constitutional tradition based on basic and enduring principles that reach beyond statutory law |
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| an informal means of revising constitutions whereby members of the executive, legislative, or judicial branch apply constitutional principles and law to the everyday affairs of governing |
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| the power of the us supreme court or state supreme courts to declare unconstitutional the actions of the executive and legislative branches as well as decisions of lower courts |
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| the formal approval of a constitution or constitutional amendment by a majority of the voters of a state |
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| the most common means of amending a state constitution, wherin the legislature proposes a revision, usually by two-thirds majority |
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| a proposed law or constitutional amendment that is placed on the ballot by citizen petition |
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| a procedure by which voters of a jurisdiction propose the passage of constitutional amendments, state laws, or local ordinances, bypassing the legislative body |
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| similar to the direct initiative, except that the voter-initiated proposal must be submitted to the legislature before going on the ballot for voter approval |
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| an assembly of delegates chosen by popular election or appointed by the legislature or the governor to revise an existing constitution or to create a new one |
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| constitutional convention |
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| a meeting of delegates appointed by the governor or legislature to study constitutional problems and propose solutions |
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| constitutional commission |
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