The Arizona Constitution is one of the most important documents of the state of Arizona. The Arizona Constitution is the governing document of the state. It affects all county municipalities/corporations and primary and secondary schools. This is a living document and was created for the people by the people. On February 14, 1912, Arizona became a state and the Arizona Constitution was born. The Arizona Constitution is made up of 28 articles that give citizens rights and laws. The Constitution gives instructions on how the state is to be run. The state is made up of three branches of government, the legislative, executive and judicial branches. All branches make sure that no branch has too much power. The state also has a direct government which gives more rights to the people. The constitution can also be changed if people deem it necessary. The Arizona Constitution is a document that governs the people, but the people have power over the laws and government of their state. Arizona is made up of fifteen counties with similar governments required to follow the basic blueprint specified in the state constitution. This presents challenges due to the different size and composition of each county. Arizona counties follow the older model of dividing governmental power between an elected leader and many individually elected officials. The leader of the county government is the Board of Supervisors. Their sizes vary depending on the size of the county. The rest of the officials include a sheriff, a county attorney, a recorder, a treasurer, an assessor, a clerk of the superior court, and a superintendent of schools (McClory, 2001). The traditional form of government has been blamed for many of the problems of Arizona counties....... middle of paper... a living document that meets the big picture the founders had in mind when they created it. Given power, the citizens of Arizona have the ability to reshape the constitution to suit their needs in their state. Works Cited McClory, T. Understanding the Arizona Constitution, The University of Arizona Press, 2001 Arizona State Legislature. (2009). Article 13 of the Arizona Constitution. Retrieved March 14, 2012, from: http://www.azleg.gov/Constitution.asp?Article=13Constitution of Arizona. (2009) Article 11 of the Arizona Constitution. Retrieved March 10, 2012, from: http://www.azleg.state.az.us/Constitution.asp?Article=11Hoffman, Dennis. Arizona State University. January 2009. Retrieved March 10, 2012, from: http://www.asu.edu/budgetcuts/documents/Education_Funding_in_Arizona_Constitutional_Requirement_and_the_Empirical_Record.pdf