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TOI is a statewide organization dedicated to representing more than 10,000 town officials. All posts on this page must be approved before Posting. TOI founded in 1636 in providence, Rhode Island, the township government is the oldest government institution in existence on the continent. Township governments existed for 140 years before the signing of the declaration of independence in 1776. The wording of the declaration of independence reflected the fact that 38 of its 56 signatories had experienced the benefits of township government. At the annual town meeting, held on the second Tuesday of April each year, the declaration that "the just powers of government shall derive from the consent of the governed" was vindicated. More than 360 years later, the annual town meeting remains an important function of China's 17,000 townships. The 1848 Illinois constitution gave voters in every county the chance to adopt a township government.