A field guide to everyday civics
Government is easier to follow when you can see the moving parts. Start with a question. Tap a graphic. Open a little more when you want it.
In progress · Not independently reviewed · Source check: October 27, 2026
These cards describe the federal government. Open a question for the next layer.
Makes federal laws
The House and Senate debate and vote on bills. Both must approve the same text before it goes to the president.
Congress can levy taxes, authorize borrowing and make spending laws. A senator or representative cannot pass a law alone.
Source: Constitution, Article I ↗House members serve two-year terms. Senators serve six-year terms, with two senators per state.
Source: Constitution, Article I ↗Carries out federal laws
The president leads the executive branch. Departments and agencies handle much of the day-to-day work.
No. Congress makes federal laws, and courts interpret them. The president can veto a bill; Congress can override that veto.
Source: USAGov: branches ↗Departments, agencies, boards and commissions are part of the executive branch. Their jobs differ.
Source: USAGov: branches ↗Congress passes a law, then agencies write the detailed rules that carry it out. Proposed rules are normally published for public comment before they take effect.
Source: Federal Register ↗Regulations.gov lists open proposed rules and lets anyone submit a comment.
Source: Regulations.gov ↗Interprets federal laws
The Supreme Court and other federal courts apply laws to cases and decide constitutional questions.
No. The Constitution gives Congress the power to make appropriations. Courts resolve cases within their jurisdiction.
Source: Constitution, Articles I and III ↗The president nominates Supreme Court justices and other Article III judges. The Senate votes on confirmation.
Source: USAGov: branches ↗Trial courts are the U.S. district courts. Appeals go to the regional courts of appeals. The Supreme Court is the final federal appeal and has nine justices.
Source: U.S. Courts: court role and structure ↗Source: Supreme Court: current justices ↗Article III judges hold office “during good Behaviour.” In practice that means for life unless they resign, retire or are removed by impeachment.
Source: Constitution, Article III, Section 1 ↗Choose a connection to see what it means. These are examples of checks, not lines of supervision.
The president can return a bill with objections. Congress may override the veto with a two-thirds vote in each chamber.
Source: Constitution, Article I, Section 7 ↗The president nominates federal judges; the Senate confirms or rejects nominees. Confirmation is not day-to-day supervision of a judge.
Source: USAGov: branches ↗Courts decide constitutional questions in cases. Since Marbury v. Madison (1803), federal courts have reviewed laws for conflicts with the Constitution.
Source: National Archives: Marbury v. Madison ↗The House can impeach an official by majority vote. The Senate holds the trial. Conviction requires two-thirds of the senators present.
Source: Constitution, Article I, Sections 2 and 3 ↗An amendment must be proposed by two-thirds of both chambers, or by a convention called by two-thirds of the states. Three-fourths of the states must then ratify it.
Source: Constitution, Article V ↗Different offices are filled in different ways. Open a card to see how.
The president is chosen by electors, not by one national vote.
Each state names electors. A candidate needs 270 of the 538 electoral votes to win. A president must be a natural-born citizen, at least 35 years old and 14 years a resident of the United States.
Source: Constitution, Article II and the Twelfth Amendment ↗Yes. The Twenty-second Amendment limits a person to being elected president twice.
Source: Twenty-second Amendment ↗Two senators per state, elected by the voters of that state.
Six-year terms. About one third of the Senate is up for election every two years. Senators have been elected directly since the Seventeenth Amendment.
Source: Seventeenth Amendment ↗Seats are divided among the states by population.
Two-year terms, so every seat is up for election every two years. The House has 435 voting members.
Source: House.gov ↗Tap a stop to follow a simplified federal bill journey. There is no fixed timetable, and bills can stall or fail.
1 / An idea
An idea can come from the public. A member of Congress introduces it as a bill. This is a simplified federal path, not a promise that every bill advances.
Source: USAGov: making laws ↗2 / Committee
Committees study bills, discuss them and can change them. A bill may stop here instead of reaching a floor vote.
Source: House: legislative process ↗3 / Debate & vote
The House or Senate debates and votes under its own rules. A bill passing one chamber has not yet become law.
Source: House: legislative process ↗4 / Same text
The other chamber considers the bill too. If the versions differ, the differences must be resolved. Both chambers must pass identical text.
Source: USAGov: making laws ↗5 / President
The president may sign or veto the bill. After ten days, excluding Sundays, an unsigned bill becomes law unless an adjournment prevents its return; that is a pocket veto.
Source: Constitution, Article I, Section 7 ↗6 / Possible override
Congress can override a returned veto with a two-thirds vote in each chamber. A pocket veto cannot be overridden. This path shows lawmaking, not every later step in carrying a law out.
Source: USAGov: making laws ↗No. Bills can start in either chamber, but bills that raise revenue must originate in the House. The Senate can propose amendments.
Source: Constitution, Article I, Section 7 ↗The Constitution gives these powers to Congress. Agencies carry out spending that Congress has approved.
Congress has the power to lay and collect taxes and to borrow money.
Article I, Section 8 lists the taxing and borrowing powers of Congress.
Source: Constitution, Article I, Section 8 ↗Federal money can be spent only as Congress allows by law.
An appropriation is a law that lets an agency spend a set amount for a set purpose. The Constitution says no money may be drawn from the Treasury except by appropriations made by law.
Source: Constitution, Article I, Section 9 ↗Official budget figures are public.
The Treasury publishes federal spending and revenue data for the public.
Source: Treasury: America’s Finance Guide ↗Start by asking which jurisdiction makes the decision. These are orientation cards, not researched job descriptions for every state or town.
Congress, the president and federal courts work within the powers set out by the U.S. Constitution.
For a proposed federal law, start with Congress. For a federal court case, start with the court record.
Source: USAGov: branches ↗The Tenth Amendment reserves powers not delegated to the United States, or prohibited to the states, to the states or the people.
A federal diagram does not establish a state officer's duties. State constitutions and statutes must be checked for the role in question.
Source: Tenth Amendment ↗Every state has its own constitution, a legislature that makes state laws, a governor who leads the executive branch, and a state court system. The details differ by state. Nebraska, for example, has a one-chamber legislature. Many states also let voters decide some laws by ballot measure.
Source: USAGov: state governments ↗Open the Voter Guide to see the offices and measures for your state. Colorado is our first worked example, with more states added as their pages can be sourced.
Go to the Voter Guide →County, city, school-board and special-district roles are in our research queue. Their powers will be explained by jurisdiction.
Local role pages are not yet researched. We will check the relevant statute, charter and official duties page before describing each job.
Explore the Voter Guide →Tap a date for more context. This is a starting point, not a complete history of rights or participation.
1787 / Constitution
The Constitution was signed September 17, 1787. Its first three articles set out Congress, the presidency and the federal courts. Signing was not the same as ratification.
Source: National Archives: Constitution ↗1791 / Bill of Rights
Ratified December 15, 1791, the Bill of Rights includes protections for speech, religion, assembly and petitioning government.
Source: National Archives: Bill of Rights ↗Today / Use the framework
Is it a proposed federal law, an agency action or a court case? Start with the institution responsible, then follow the official record.
Source: USAGov: branches ↗You have two U.S. senators and one U.S. representative. Their offices take calls, messages and requests for help with federal agencies.
Enter your ZIP code to find your House member and their contact page.
Find your representative ↗Every state has two. The Senate lists office phones and contact forms.
Contact your senators ↗The Capitol Switchboard connects you to any member’s office.
Give your name and ZIP code, name the bill or issue, and say what you want your member to do. A bill number from Congress.gov makes your message specific.
Source: USAGov: elected officials ↗Have a bill number? Look up the text, actions and votes in the official congressional record.
Open Congress.gov ↗Use the voter guide to explore the offices, candidates and measures on your ballot.
Go to the Voter Guide →See a worked example with the evidence behind it.
Explore the TABOR case study →The First Amendment protects the right to petition government. A request is not a guarantee that a proposal will pass.
Source: First Amendment ↗Official sources sit beside the explanations they support. This first pass covers federal basics. Detailed federal role pages, Colorado roles and local connections remain in progress and not yet independently reviewed.
Status: not yet researched as individual role pages.
Colorado comes first as the worked ballot example. Other states will follow only as their role pages can be sourced.
Each connection will identify its jurisdiction and legal source. Labels will say elected by, appointed by, confirms, legislates, administers, funds, supervises, audits or reviews decisions. Funding alone does not establish supervision. No connection will rely on color alone.