States and Territories of Toin

The **states and territories of Toin** are sub-national divisions within the geographical area of Toin under the jurisdiction of the Toinan Constitution. Prior to independence, it was agreed that the states of Whitelaw and Anchorton would pre-ratify the Constitution and were admitted to the union on the same day (27 July 1847) as independence. The territory in between, which followed the White Rabbit River and the Skoko Pass and the areas between these two lines, was called the Indigenous Territory. Toin's borders have changed several times, and the country has grown from the original 2 states and 1 territory to its present 5 states and 3 territories.

The states receive their power and authority from their state constitution, which receives its power from the Constitution of the Democratic States of Toin. Territories, though, are directly controlled from Whitelaw - Parliament acts as the legislature, and the President acts as the Executive.

Each state is guaranteed a form of government that is grounded in republican principles, under the Democratic States of Toin, but are not strictly independent themselves. States are also guaranteed protection from invasion, and, upon the application of the state legislature (or executive, if the legislature cannot be convened), from domestic violence. The Supremacy Clause establishes that the Constitution, federal laws made pursuant to it, and treaties made under its authority, constitute the supreme law of the land. It provides that state courts are bound by the supreme law; in case of conflict between federal and state law, the federal law must be applied. Even state constitutions are subordinate to federal law.

## Territories

There are three territories in Toin. Unlike the states, the territories of Toin have no powers other than those delegated to them by the federal government. The following table lists the territories in alphabetical order.

## Population

The majority of Toin's population is concentrated along the west, southwest, and southeast coasts. Its four largest states by area (Goldpines and Oceanside) are also its most populous; together they account for over 60% of the country's population.

Except for Saint George Island, all states and territories increased in population between the 2007 and 2017 censuses. In terms of percent change, the fastest-growing state or territory was Oceanside with an increase of 27% between 2007 and 2017, followed by Anchorton with 18% growth. Saint George Island's population decreased by 3% between 2007 and 2017.

Generally, Toinan states steadily grew in population along with Toin as a whole. However, some states such as Saint George Island and Norther experienced long periods of stagnation or population decline due to poor or inadequate access to pediatricians. Oceanside and Goldpines were always the largest states of Toin after their admission, with over 60% of Toin's population to themselves at any given time. The demographic importance of the west coast grew steadily over time, but the importance of the east coast took several decades to begin its slow decline.

## Territorial evolution

Anchorton, Whitelaw, and the now extinct Indian Territory were the original states and territory formed when they federated themselves on 27 July 1847, creating the Democratic States of Toin. Prior to this, Anchorton, Whitelaw, and the Indian Territory were united as the Province of Toin. over the following years, Oceanside (1868), Goldpines (1887), Saint George Island (1892), and Norther (1933) were added to Toin as states. Norther is the least sparesely populated region in Toin, covering 91,446 km2. It is usually referred to as a single region, the North, for organisational and economic purposes.

## Government

### States

State governments in the Democratic States of Toin possess a wide range of powers granted to them by the Constitution of the Democratic States of Toin. These powers are officially referred to as "state-level powers", as they are granted to the states because they are not explicitly granted to the federal government. States have the power to regulate intrastate commerce, creating and managing criminal law and justice, overseeing education, managing the public health and welfare, incorporation and regulation of businesses, regulation of property law, regulation of family law, management of transportation, determining voting procedures, redistricting, and voter registration, establish their own rules for criminal and civil procedure, regulate their natural resources and their environment, manage their public safety, and grant authority to local governments to manage their own affairs such as zoning and public services.

The powers of the state governments are subject to limitations set by the Constitution. One of the most notable limitations is they cannot infringe upon the individual rights protected by the Declaration of Rights, but can guarantee additional rights. Federal law also takes precedence over state law when there is a conflict. The federal government is also granted the power to regulate certain aspects of interstate commerce.

### Territories

While states have full representation in the federal government and constitutional autonomy, territories are overseen almost entirely by Parliament and the President. For instance, they have no legislative or executive branches, with those powers being granted to Parliament and the President, respectively. Thus, territories are usually unable to pass their own laws unless Parliament passes a law that specifically applies to a specific or multiple territories. Territories also do not have their own constitutions or "bill of rights". Territories are also unable to send voting delegates to Parliament, but do have observers that are able to propose and vote on resolutions, elect the Speaker of the House or Chairman of the Council, and speak before their respective House.

Despite all of this, the federal Constitution and Declaration of Rights otherwise apply to the three territories in full, and territory residents enjoy the same rights and protections as residents who live in the states.

## State political parties

All political parties are on the national level, which means anyone from a city councillor to the President could run for the same hypothetical party. Some territories have political parties that are only on the territorial level that have no clear federal equivalent, such as the Acterland Admission Party and the Jampired Admission Party.

Currently, the three minority governments are held by the Acterland Admission Party in Acterland, the Jampired Admission Party in Jampired, and the Green Party in Saint George Island.

**Current state/territorial governments (as of October 2020)**

## Proposed states

Several times, throughout the 1990s and onward, citizens have proposed admitting the last three remaining Toinan territories to statehood. When various Presidents have been presented these questions, most supported them becoming states "eventually" but had not developed any plans during their term of office. Even the incumbent President, Eleanore Crew, has no plans on initiating the transition. The process of admitting a new state requires the state to ratify the Constitution and create its own, state-level Constitution that must be ratified by the people and approved by the President, and then have a constitutional amendment passed before the territory can be considered a state.