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APUSGOV Unit Five
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Governor | the head of the executive branch in the state government |
| Executive Council | five elected officials who represent regions (with roughly equal numbers of state citizens) and advise the governor (unique to NH) |
| General Court | the name for the NH state legislature (House and Senate) |
| Department | an office of state or local government that oversees a particular public service |
| Mayor | the head of the executive branch in a city government |
| City council | elected officials who advise the mayor/selectmen, carry out some legislative duties |
| Selectmen | a board of elected officials who head the executive branch in a town government |
| Board | an elected committee that deals with a particular aspect of local governance (ie- school board, zoning board, etc…) |
| Town clerk | the person responsible for handling the administrative business of a town government |
| Town meeting | a form of direct democracy in which matters of local government (articles) are discussed and voted on |
| Deliberative session | similar to a town meeting in that articles are discussed and can be amended, but no voting takes place |
| Warrant article | a piece of local legislation to be put to a vote either on a ballot or at a town meeting |
| Polling place | the place where people go to vote |
| Ballot initiative | a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can bring about a public vote. 26 states and Washington DC have initiative processes at the statewide level. NH does not. |
| Recall vote | a procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office through a direct vote before that official's term has ended. 18 states currently allow recall votes. NH does not. |
| Home rule | local governments can pass any laws and ordinances as they see fit, within the bounds of the state and federal constitutions. NH is not a home rule state. |
| County | the largest territorial division for local government within a state of the U.S. |