State Constitutional Amendments After the Midterm

Voters Amend State Constitutions to Enshrine New Rights

From abortion to voting rights, amendments creating new state constitutional rights were approved at the ballot box.

In every state, the state legislature can propose constitutional amendments (and in everywhere but Delaware amendments must also go before the voters). In 18 states, voters can also place a constitutional amendment directly on the ballot without legislative involvement if they collect a certain number of signatures. The average number of amendments for a state constitution is 115, far more than the U.S. Constitution’s 27 amendments. Here are some notable new state constitutional rights that voters approved this year.

Amanda Powers Research and Program Associate at the Brennan Center for Justice

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