Rhode Island Civics: How Your State Government Works

by bam

A practical, non-partisan guide to how the state of Rhode Island governs itself, and how you take part where you live. Rhode Island, the smallest state, has several distinctive features: in 2020 its voters shortened its official name (dropping 'and Providence Plantations'); it has counties on the map but NO county governments (its 39 cities and towns do everything); its Supreme Court justices serve for LIFE (the only state high court with life tenure); and for centuries its Legislature was so dominant that voters passed a separation-of-powers amendment in 2004 to rein it in. You'll also learn Rhode Island's plural executive, its General Assembly of 38 senators and 75 representatives, and how to take part. Time-sensitive facts are flagged, pointing to the Secretary of State. Cited to Rhode Island's own official sources (rilegislature.gov, sos.ri.gov, courts.ri.gov).