The State Capitol resembles the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., but is faced in Texas pink granite and is topped by a statue of the "Goddess of Liberty" holding aloft a five-point Texas star.

[1] The statewide elected officials are: The executive department consists of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Comptroller of Public Accounts, Commissioner of the General Land Office, and Attorney General.

Except for the Secretary of State, all executive officers are elected independently, making them directly answerable to the public, not the Governor.

The governor also appoints members of various executive boards and fills judicial vacancies between elections.

All members of the executive branch are elected statewide except for the Secretary of State (appointed).

The executive branch also includes several boards and commissions that are constituted through a mixture of elections and gubernatorial appointments confirmed by the Senate.

[5] The Texas Register contains proposed rules, notices, executive orders, and other information of general use to the public and is published weekly by the Secretary of State.

It is a powerful arm of the Texas government not only because of its power of the purse to control and direct the activities of state government and the strong constitutional connections between it and the Lieutenant Governor, but also due to Texas's plural executive.

The legislature convenes its regular sessions at noon on the second Tuesday in January of odd-numbered years.

[8][9] The judicial system of Texas has a reputation as one of the most complex in the United States,[10] with many layers and many overlapping jurisdictions.

Except in the case of some municipal benches, partisan elections choose all of the judges at all levels of the judiciary; the governor fills vacancies by appointment.

Certain officials, such as the sheriff and tax collector, are elected separately by the voters, but the commissioners court determines their office budgets, and sets overall county policy.

However, counties can collect a small portion of property tax and spend it to provide residents with needed services or to employ the power of eminent domain.