The political preferences were "grouped" loosely into
Left: Communists, Democrats, Stalinists
Right: Free-Market Liberals, Conservative Liberals, Fascists
Also: Royalists, Anarchists
using pretty much European understandings of those terms. (Except for Stalinist, which I think I made up. There must be a more common term to describe it. Basically, the Left-wing version of Fascism.) Conservative Liberal should be something like the U.S. Republican party. I was actually thinking of Civic Platform parties in Eastern Europe when I called it that. I hope that's not too far off. Communist means something more like Anarcho-Communist, not USSR stuff.
Even though I grouped them by political preference, they're each supposed to have their own "flavor" of government. It would be kind of boring to make so many similar ones. So help me out if you see this happening. The grouping is just for fast identification.
In the more descriptive list below, I assumed that "mostly _____" means that the dominant political parties/ideas are ______ or the ones closest to it. So when I say "Texas is mostly Conservative Liberal," I mean that that's the most noticeable element, followed by other Right-wing parties.
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Maine (3 mil) is mostly Free-Market Liberal. It has a President much like the U.S. did, but limited in power. Most power is held in the large bicameral Congress. The Senate has seats based on districts, and the House of Representatives has seats by proportional party votes. Much like Texas, it does not recognize international governing bodies. It does not meet much criticism for this, as Maine mostly keeps to itself (and is not a strong nation).
Vermont (0 mil) is mostly Communist. It has no legislature; rather the entire voting population passes laws through initiative, referendum, and recall. There are Boards of Committeemen elected to write these laws (but this is their only duty), and a Secretary-General to enact the laws. It has no formal agreements with other countries, but none of its neighbors are hostile, so there is considered to be no need to change the status quo.
New York (42 mil) is mostly Stalinist. It has a very large unicameral legislature based on proportional party representation, and has a Prime Minister with only insignificant power. The highly urban society has slowly become a “surveillance state.” There is much authority invested in the state. New York is a major world power, and participates in many global missions, generally as an ally of France, Britain, and other European countries.
Pennsylvania (18 mil) is mostly Conservative Liberal. It has a weak President and Cabinet, and a very large bicameral legislature. Both houses are directly elected by a district system, but the Union Body (upper house) system draws larger districts than the National Body (lower house). Most of Pennsylvania’s citizens are poor or close to it.
Carolina (35 mil) is mostly Royalist. It has a constitutional monarchy, with a King elected every three years and an unlimited number of possible re-elections. It has a mid-sized unicameral legislature, with almost evenly balanced power against the King’s executive power. The King can appoint Ministers and Advisors, but only if the Carolina Assembly votes their approval. The Assembly can vote to remove or convict the King if he breaks the law. The King and his Ministers handle all foreign negotiations, while the Assembly votes on fiscal and domestic matters. Carolina is a major world power and has a strong active military, and has somewhat of an alliance with Israel. It often goes on global missions, but does not act as a “team player”, caring nothing for world consensus or outside approval of those missions.
Mississippi (18 mil) is mostly Conservative Liberal. It is very socially traditional, and most of its governance is concerned with that structure of moral law, but not much else. Like Utah, Mississippi also keeps much to itself. Government is strong but local. It has a moderate-strength President that enforces the laws, a Congress elected according to local districts, and a Senate elected by regional legislatures. Mississippi has an armed citizenry to act as militia in case of invasion. Every office has term limits, and the terms are short. Racism is still a problem here, more than in most other places.
Florida (13 mil) is mostly Fascist. It has a well-liked President, and a large bicameral legislature that is more a relic of the past than anything else. Spurred on by the populace, the President is able to bully the Congress into supporting most measures and regulations. It is a regional power, and often shows animosity toward leftist Latin American countries. There is also a strong presence of Stalinists and Democrats, mostly on the suburban east coast.
Louisiana (7 mil) is mostly Royalist. It has a hereditary monarchy headed by a Duke or Duchess. Once a state torn by conflicting factions, this was found as a solution to keep law and order. It is a small nation, but has many resources and lucrative industries, and so has become heavily dependent on the political will of its neighbor, Texas.
Ohio (30 mil) is mostly Democratic. It actually is predominantly Christian Socialist in political doctrine, admiring the order and morals of Carolina, as well as the equality and humanity of Michigan. It has a typical parliamentary structure of government, with a Prime Minister as leader of the government and its representative on the world stage. The Parliament is a bicameral body, with an upper house elected by the lower house, similar to the British model. Ohio is a regional power, usually agreeing with Michigan on regional issues.
Michigan (30 mil) is mostly Democratic. It has a typical European parliamentary structure of government, with a bicameral legislature, and headed by a Prime Minister and President. Having both agricultural and industrial production, its trade is heavily sought around the world. It has somewhat of an alliance with Canada, New York, and to some extent with Europe. Michigan is a world power, and participates in many global missions.
Texas (23 mil) is mostly Conservative Liberal. It has a strong executive branch headed by the President, but also a mid-sized Congress to keep him in check. Congress is elected directly in both houses, according to district. Like in Mississippi, the terms are short and limited in number of re-election. However, business corruption is rampant in Texas’s government, leading to an almost Fascist form of government. Some welcome this, but many are strongly resentful of it, compounded by the government’s obvious refusal of immigration control measures. The citizens are currently in outright revolt against their government, which has thrown the Louisiana puppet state into decay as well. Before these times of unrest, Texas was a world power and a wealthy nation, even if militarily and diplomatically isolationist.
Nebraska (11 mil) is mostly Anarchist. It has the separate states acting almost totally independently of each other. Its executive branch is headed by a Federal Council with a rotating figurehead, like in Switzerland. Simply enough, the members of the Council are the Governors of the individual states. It has no federal legislative body. The citizens are armed into a militia defense, and standing armies are illegal.
New Mexico (12 mil) is mostly Fascist. It is a military dictatorship, with a singular leader. Conditions are less oppressive than would be otherwise thanks to the desert terrain—the population is relatively small and thinly spread. The border with Mexico is a battle zone, and the Army roams through houses and across deserts looking for illegal immigrants. New Mexico finds itself in a difficult situation in regards to the Texan Revolution. It doesn’t want to see a neighboring government overthrown by the people, but it does want to see Texas take firmer action on the Mexican border.
Colorado (5 mil) is mostly Communist. It has a parliamentary democracy, open to citizens’ initiatives, referenda, and recalls. It has begun work on an online universal voter system. The President only sees that the laws passed by the People’s Assembly are being upheld uniformly and fairly, and the Prime Minister keeps Colorado away from serious outside conflicts. The citizens are required to be armed and trained in arms use, unless mental or criminal records make them ineligible. Referenda on joining the Nebraska Federation are often brought up, but none has yet passed.
Utah (3 mil) is mostly Royalist. It has a hereditary Mormon monarchy. It is much more conservative than the other American monarchies, almost Feudalist. The King does appoint Tribunes, to whom his subjects can voice their wishes and appeals, but any such action is made at the King’s discretion. The small kingdom keeps very much to itself.
Nevada (2 mil) is mostly Free-Market Liberal. It is an almost Anarcho-Capitalist society. It has a many-layered, localized government structure, with each level small, and elected by the level just below it. Nevada’s National Legislature deals mostly with the coining of money, counterfeiting and its penalties, and ensuring a strong and equal justice system (in theory better than in practice). The national executive is headed by the Governor, who does some negotiating and diplomacy, and tries to enforce the laws—though there are not many laws here. Trade and diplomacy is often done with Nevada-based businesses instead of the State of Nevada itself. The citizens mostly arm themselves, and these lands are known for breeding everything from lone outlaws to bounty hunters to crime rings to “corporate protection agencies” (CPAs).
California (24 mil) is mostly Stalinist. It has large thick layers of government at many levels, and a moderate amount of corruption. The Board of Secretaries acts as an executive arm of the government, as well as the head of agencies, bureaus, and police activities. Most industries are nationalized. Despite urban poverty, overcrowding, and natural disaster hot-spots, California is a world power, in somewhat of an alliance with Australia, Singapore, Mexico, and Venezuela, and has friendly relations with most of Latin America. It trades heavily with China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and Russia, and often tries to act as a mediator in disputes between them. This has gotten it into trouble in the past when accused of taking one side or the other.
Oregon (11 mil) is mostly Anarchist. It has no government; it is a collection of lands not under jurisdiction of a government. The Oregon lands are generally peaceful, even though they serve as a haven for criminals, especially from neighboring Nevada.
New Vancouver (8 mil) is mostly Democratic. It has a unicameral House of Representatives, balanced with a sufficiently strong President in the executive branch. Processes of government are made very transparent and accessible to the public, and removal from office is easier than it was in the U.S. It has a large volume of trade for a nation of its size, and plays a role as a regional power. Unlike California, Vancouver makes its ideas and positions clear to other nations, and consistently sides against North Korea’s and China’s perceived human rights violations. It keeps friendly relations with Japan and Canada.
Hawaii (1 mil) is mostly Democratic. It has a typical European parliamentary structure of government, with a Prime Minister and President, along with a bicameral body, similar to the British model. Citizens like to joke that the government is a “bureaucracy” more than a “democracy," but the standard of living is quite good. Being caught in the middle of so many strong Pacific powers, Hawaii claims to operate on strict terms of international neutrality. It serves as a thriving port center.
Alaska (0 mil) is mostly Free-Market Liberal. It has a small bicameral Congress, with a significant but restrained executive branch headed by the Governor. Power is relatively localized, and the northern and central parts of Alaska are barely governed in anything but writing. It also has massive amounts of resources, and is an important trade partner for Russia and Canada, and to some extent Japan. Thus, this sparsely populated country has some very powerful allies.
**Red part: I don't know if I want to take it that far. It was something interesting to get a plot going, so I took it.