Local-Level Elected Officials

What does ‘local’ mean anyway?

There are thousands of local governments in the United States. Local governments include counties (called parishes in some states), municipalities (cities, towns, and villages), and other government entities that aren’t part of state government but also don’t line up into county or municipal boundaries – things like school districts and regional utility or conservation districts. We also include local court systems here, since every state organizes their local courts a bit differently.

How to use the Genius Guides

For local judges, click on your state to get a breakdown of your local court system and all the types of elected judges that serve in your local courts. Currently we have explainers of the local court systems in Louisiana, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, with more coming in the future.

For other officials, check out ‘The Basics’ to get a general idea of what they do. If you live in Louisiana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, or Virginia, you can scroll down and click on your state to get the specifics of how it works in your state. If your state isn’t there yet, check back often – we’ll be adding more states in the future, and the info in ‘The Basics’ applies to everybody.