Government
Most of us know the basics of how the federal government is structured.
Most of us know the basics of how the federal government is structured. The head of the executive branch is the President. The legislative branch is composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate, and the judiciary is comprised of the judges who sit on the higher courts. The State of Pennsylvania and City of Philadelphia are generally structured the same the way:
| State of PA | City of Philadelphia | |
|---|---|---|
| Executive | Governor | Mayor |
| Legislative | State Reps and State Senators | City Council |
| Judiciary | Judges* | Judges* |
| *a more thorough explanation of the structure of the judicial branches will be available on our site soon. | ||
Not surprisingly, the people elected to serve in these positions are responsible for running the government i.e. creating policy, writing and enforcing law, etc. These people are affiliated with political parties (primarily Democratic and Republican), but the parties themselves are distinct entities.
Political Parties
Political parties also have a structure.
But the structure of political parties differs from that of the government because the parties do not have a role in running the government. Rather, they are merely organizations designed to support people running for government offices who are affiliated with their party.