To petition the government means to

"To petition the government means to" make a complaint about the government with out being punished  

a list of local governments in the us which go in order from the largest to the smallest division may be represented in the following way:

1. local government: it is placed below the level of state government as it refers to the jurisdiction government.

2. county government: states are organized into counties for administrative purposes.

3. township governments or municipalities: some counties are divided into towns or municipalities as population centers. cities, boroughs and villages are included at this level.

4. districts: special purpose districts encompass areas in municipalities.