Consequences of federalism

Legal

Policy

Political

Political parties

Economic

Variety in state law

Marriage age, driving age

Drug law e.g. California legalising marijuana but it still being illegal under federal law and a schedule 1 drug (same category as heroin, higher than coke)

Death penalty e.g. Oregon allows doctor assisted suicide

There are both federal and state courts

States can act as policy labs to come up with new solutions to old problems

E.g. affirmative action, healthcare, immigration

Immigration reform in Arizona in 2012 was declared unconstitutional by the S.C

Can come through propositions/initiatives

All elections in states and run by state law

Each state chooses how candidates chosen, procedures for ballot papers, mechanisms in polling stations

Arizona has experimented with online voting

Political parties are decentralised/state based

Different state parties can be more conservative/liberal than others

Huge federal grants to states

Income tax is imposed by both

Different property tax by states

Sales tax varies between cities

Reigonalism

Distinct cultures, accents, idological differences