Election News and Features
Constitutional Amendments Have Plenty of Company on California Ballot
With more than 500 amendments to its state constitution already in place, California looks to add more to the list.
30-Second Summary
Californians have voted on 55 constitutional amendments during the past 10 years, and will vote on more proposed amendments in 2008.
Passing an amendment only requires a majority vote in California, which means amending the state’s constitution “is often more a political question than a legal one,” writes the San Francisco Chronicle.
“We have one of the most unruly constitutions in the world,” stated Joel Fox, a former aid to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. “So we make a habit of amending it more often.”
California’s state constitution is more than 10 times longer than the United States Constitution (which only has 27 amendments).
Of the proposed amendments on California’s 2008 voter ballot, two in particular have attracted considerable attention.
Proposition 1 is a bond measure to help fund a high-speed train between Northern and Southern California. Proposition 8 seeks to ban same-sex marriage.
Other propositions on California’s ballot concern teen abortion and shifting legislative district lines.
Passing an amendment only requires a majority vote in California, which means amending the state’s constitution “is often more a political question than a legal one,” writes the San Francisco Chronicle.
“We have one of the most unruly constitutions in the world,” stated Joel Fox, a former aid to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. “So we make a habit of amending it more often.”
California’s state constitution is more than 10 times longer than the United States Constitution (which only has 27 amendments).
Of the proposed amendments on California’s 2008 voter ballot, two in particular have attracted considerable attention.
Proposition 1 is a bond measure to help fund a high-speed train between Northern and Southern California. Proposition 8 seeks to ban same-sex marriage.
Other propositions on California’s ballot concern teen abortion and shifting legislative district lines.
Headline Link: ‘State loves to change the law of the land’
California is “a very active place, and people want to get in and make policy changes,” stated Fred Silva, fiscal policy adviser to California Forward. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, however, several amendments to the state’s constitution are not very “earthshaking.” For example, the constitution was amended to allow charities to conduct raffles. Another amendment permitted the state to deposit money in credit unions.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
Related Topic: Noteworthy propositions on California’s 2008 ballot
California’s Proposition 1 is a $9.9 billion bond measure to help pay for a high-speed train between Northern and Southern California. A recent poll indicates that 56 percent of voters favor the train, but The Mercury News said, “Whether that support holds up in the face of opposition campaigns remains to be seen.”
Source: The Mercury News
If passed, Proposition 8 would ban same-sex marriage in California. After the state Supreme Court ruled that laws prohibiting same-sex marriage violated California’s constitution, supporters of Proposition 8 petitioned to include the measure on the November ballot. Supporters and opponents are now arguing over the wording of the proposition. At first, the language said the measure would “provide that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” A revision to the wording says the proposal would “eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry.”
Source: United Press International
Historical Context: California’s first state constitution
California’s first constitution was created in 1849, but the state now operates under the constitution adopted in 1879. The text of the original document is available at Secretary of State Debra Bowen’s Web site.
Source: California Secretary of State Debra Bowen
Reference: State constitution facts
Only six U.S. states today operate under constitutions drafted before 1850. Each of the 50 states has had an average of three constitutions. Georgia and Louisiana far exceed that number, however, with 10 and 11 constitutions, respectively.
Source: Texas Politics
With 799 amendments, Alabama holds the record for the longest state constitution in the United States, and arguably the world. The document is about 12 times larger than the typical state constitution. Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform is an organization devoted to helping the state draft a new constitution.
Source: Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform
The shortest constitution in the country belongs to Vermont. Constitutional amendments may only be proposed once every four years.
Source: MSN Encarta
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