Bar Exam Practice 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The powers specifically reserved for the states primarily include conducting elections and regulating intrastate commerce. This is grounded in the framework of federalism established by the U.S. Constitution, which delineates powers between the federal and state governments.

States have the authority to conduct elections, including those for state offices and local elections, as well as federal elections within their jurisdictions. This power allows states to determine the electoral process, including voting procedures and the management of election logistics.

Regulating intrastate commerce is another power reserved for states, meaning states can control trade that occurs solely within their borders. This is supported by the Tenth Amendment, which reserves to the states all powers not expressly granted to the federal government or prohibited to the states.

Other choices involve powers that are typically reserved for the federal government. For instance, declaring war and maintaining armies, printing money, conducting foreign relations, imposing tariffs, and creating treaties are all powers outlined in the Constitution as belonging solely to the federal government, thereby not available to the states. Thus, conducting elections and regulating intrastate commerce clearly fall within state powers.