Op-Ed: In the United States, multiple paths for state constitutional amendments

The U.S. Constitution is difficult to change and has only been amended 27 times. State constitutions, on the other hand, are much easier to modify, and state constitutional amendments are adopted on a regular basis. The current constitutions of the 50 states have been amended around 7,000 times.   [...] State legislatures generate more than 80 percent of constitutional amendments that are considered and approved around the country each year. [...] Seventeen states currently provide another path for enacting amendments: via citizen-initiative processes. [...] In each of these states, amendment proponents must gather an overall number of signatures in support of holding a vote on the amendment. Most of these signature-collection requirements are tied to the number of votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. [...] From 1776 to 1986, a total of 250 constitutional conventions were held in the 50 states. However, it has been nearly four decades since Rhode Island voters approved an automatically generated referendum that led to the last full-scale state constitutional convention in the United States. [...] Florida is unique in allowing constitutional commissions to submit amendments directly to voters.
Read the full article here: Brennan Center for Justice