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Free Elections Law
A free elections law, also known as a free and equal elections clause, is a section in many U.S. state constitutions which mandates that elections of public officials shall be free and not influence by other powers. Most such laws were placed into state constitutions in the late 18th and early 19th century. Free elections laws Role in anti-gerrymandering litigation and measures On February 4, 2022, the North Carolina Supreme Court ruled 4-3 against both congressional and legislative maps drawn by the North Carolina General Assembly's Republican majority on the grounds of the maps violating the free elections clause. In addition, as of 2020, the state constitutions of California, Washington, Montana, Idaho, Arizona, Colorado and Virginia all provide for both free elections mandates and for redistricting commission In the United States, a redistricting commission is a body, other than the usual state legislative bodies, established to draw electoral district boundaries. Gene ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Constitution Of Alabama
The Constitution of the State of Alabama is the State constitution (United States), state constitution of the U.S. state of Alabama. It was adopted on November 28, 2022, as a recodification of the Alabama Constitution of 1901 which had been in effect since November 28, 1901, with the current version being Alabama's seventh constitution. The Constitution of Alabama is currently the longest active written constitution in the world at 369,380 words, more than two-and-a-half times the length of the second-longest, the English language version of the Constitution of India. History Alabama has had seven constitutions to date, all but the current one established via State Conventions: (converting Alabama Territory into a State), 1861 (Alabama in the American Civil War, Secession), 1865 (Reconstruction Era of the United States, Reconstruction), 1868 (Reconstruction), 1875 (Redeemers, ending Reconstruction), 1901 (Jim Crow) and the current document, adopted in 2022. Governor of Alabama, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Constitution Of New Mexico
The Constitution of the State of New Mexico ( Spanish: Constitución del Estado de Nuevo México) is the document that establishes the fundamental political framework of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It sets forth the principles and structure of government, enumerates the rights of citizens, and functions as the supreme law of the state, subordinate only to the United States Constitution. New Mexico held its first constitutional convention in 1850, two years after being annexed as a territory of the U.S. Over the next sixty years, it produced four constitutions, of which the current document was drafted by the Constitutional Convention of 1910; the resulting draft was adopted by referendum in both English and Spanish, ratified by popular vote on January 21, 1911, and became effective on January 7, 1912 upon admission to the union. The New Mexico Constitution is unique in the U.S. for recognizing the state's cultural and ethnic diversity; it reaffirms the rights of ''Hispano ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Constitution Of Wyoming
The Constitution of the State of Wyoming is the supreme governing document of the U.S. state of Wyoming. Wyoming held a constitutional convention in 1889. The constitution was approved by a statewide vote of 6,272 to 1,923 on November 5, 1889. It was last amended in 2024. It was the first constitution in the United States which explicitly gave women the right to vote (though an earlier New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ... constitution gave women who owned property the right to vote because of an ambiguity in its text). The Wyoming state legislature also approved this with minor changes in 1896.http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/wyoming-legislators-write-the-first-state-constitution-to-grant-women-the-vote Wyoming Constitution Gives Women Right To Vot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Constitution Of Washington
The Constitution of the State of Washington is the document that describes the structure and function of the government of the U.S. State of Washington. The constitution was adopted as part of Washington Territory's path to statehood in 1889. An earlier constitution was drafted and ratified in 1878, but it was never officially adopted. 1878 constitution In 1877 Orange Jacobs, Washington Territory's Delegate to U.S. Congress, requested an enabling act that would allow Washington to become a state as soon as a state constitution was drafted and ratified by the voters. At the same time, an act was passed by the Washington Territorial Legislative Assembly to convene a constitutional convention. Without waiting for action by Congress, Washington's voters elected fifteen delegates who met in Walla Walla in June and July 1878 and drafted a constitution. The voters of the territory approved the constitution in November 1878 with a vote of 6,537 in favor and 3,236 opposed. Congress, h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Constitution Of Virginia
The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia is the document that defines and limits the powers of the state government and the basic rights of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Like all other state constitutions, it is supreme over Virginia's laws and acts of government, though it may be superseded by the United States Constitution and U.S. federal law as per the Supremacy Clause. The original Virginia Constitution of 1776 was enacted at the time of the Declaration of Independence by the first thirteen states of the United States of America. Virginia was an early state to adopt its own Constitution on June 29, 1776, and the document was widely influential both in the United States and abroad. In addition to frequent amendments, there have been six major subsequent revisions of the constitution (by Conventions for the constitutions of 1830, 1851, 1864, 1870, 1902, and by commission for 1971 amendments). These new constitutions have been part of, and in reactio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Constitution Of Vermont
The Constitution of the State of Vermont is the fundamental body of law of the U.S. state of Vermont, describing and framing its government. It was adopted in 1793 following Vermont's admission to the Union in 1791 and is largely based upon the 1777 Constitution of the Vermont Republic which was drafted at Windsor in the Old Constitution House and amended in 1786. At 8,295 words, it is the shortest U.S. state constitution. Largely unchanged since 1777, Vermont's Constitution is the only active constitutional document to have been drafted and ratified outside of the United States. History 1777 From 1777 to 1791, Vermont was an independent country, often referred to in the present day as the Vermont Republic. During that time it was usually called the State of Vermont but sometimes called the Commonwealth of Vermont or the Republic of Vermont. Its first constitution, drafted in 1777, was among the most far-reaching in guaranteeing personal freedoms and individual rights. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Constitution Of Utah
The Constitution of the State of Utah defines the basic form and operation of state government in Utah. History Utahns had drafted seven previous constitutions starting in 1849 as part of repeated attempts to become a state. In 1850, the federal government created the Utah territory, with a secular government. Utah was still prohibited from joining the union, due to the practice of polygamy in Utah. In 1890, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints renounced polygamy, which gave Utah permission from the federal government to begin drafting a constitution. The Utah Constitution was drafted at a convention that opened on March 4, 1895 in Salt Lake City. The constitution was later approved by the citizens of Utah. It took several attempts to get a constitution approved by Congress, which admitted Utah as a state in 1896. During the 2024 United States elections, Utah legislatures attempted to pass an amendment to the Utah constitution that would give power over ballot m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Constitution Of Texas
The Constitution of the State of Texas is the document that establishes the structure and function of the government of the U.S. state of Texas and enumerates the basic rights of its citizens. The current document was adopted on February 15, 1876, and is the seventh constitution in Texas history (including the Mexican constitution). The previous six were adopted in 1827 (while Texas was still part of Mexico and half of the state of Coahuila y Tejas), 1836 (the Constitution of the Republic of Texas), 1845 (upon admission to the United States), 1861 (at the beginning of the American Civil War), 1866 (at the end of the American Civil War), and 1869. Texas constitutional conventions took place in 1861, 1866, 1868–69, and 1875. The constitution is the second-longest state constitution in the United States (exceeded only by the Constitution of Alabama, even with the latter being recompiled as a new document in 2022 and having obsolete, duplicative, and overtly racist provisions rem ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Constitution Of Tennessee
The Constitution of the State of Tennessee defines the form, structure, activities, character, and fundamental rules (and means for changing them) of the U.S. State of Tennessee. The original constitution of Tennessee came into effect on June 1, 1796, concurrent with the state's admission to the Union. A second version of the constitution was adopted in 1835. A third constitution was adopted in 1870 and is the one still in use today, with subsequent amendments. The constitution is located in Tennessee's State Library and Archives. History 1796 constitution Tennessee held a convention in 1796 to frame their first constitution. The original Tennessee state constitution was not submitted to the voters for approval, but it was approved by US Congress, in conjunction with the resolution admitting Tennessee as a state. It went into effect on June 1, 1796, when Tennessee entered the Union. The first constitution was widely criticized as giving the executive, presumably a full-time gov ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Constitution Of South Dakota
The structure of the government of South Dakota is based on that of the federal government, with three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial. The structure of the state government is laid out in the Constitution of South Dakota, the highest law in the state. The constitution may be amended either by a majority vote of both houses of the legislature, or by voter initiative. Executive branch The governor of South Dakota heads the executive branch of the state government. The state constitution gives the governor the power to either sign into law or veto bills passed by the state legislature, to serve as commander-in-chief of the state's armed forces, to appoint a cabinet, and to commute criminal sentences or to pardon those convicted of crimes. The governor serves for a four-year term, and may not serve more than two consecutive terms. The current governor is Larry Rhoden, a Republican from Sturgis. The lieutenant governor is Tony Venhuizen (R), the attor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Constitution Of South Carolina
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these principles are written down into a single document or set of legal documents, those documents may be said to embody a ''written constitution''; if they are encompassed in a single comprehensive document, it is said to embody a ''codified constitution''. The Constitution of the United Kingdom is a notable example of an ''uncodified constitution''; it is instead written in numerous fundamental acts of a legislature, court cases, and treaties. Constitutions concern different levels of organizations, from sovereign countries to companies and unincorporated associations. A treaty that establishes an international organization is also its constitution, in that it would define how that organization is constituted. Within states, a constitution d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Constitution Of Pennsylvania
The Constitution of Pennsylvania is the supreme law within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. All acts of the General Assembly, the governor, and each governmental agency are subordinate to it. Since 1776, Pennsylvania's Constitution has undergone five versions. Pennsylvania held constitutional conventions in 1776, 1789–90, 1837–38, 1872–73, and 1967–68. The current Constitution entered into force in 1968, and has been amended numerous times. The Constitution may only be amended if a proposed modification receives a majority vote of two consecutive sessions of the General Assembly and then is approved by the electorate. Emergency amendments are permitted by a vote of two-thirds of the General Assembly and an affirmative vote by the electorate within one month. In such emergency situations, commonwealth election officials are required to publish notice of the referendum on a proposed amendment in a minimum of two newspapers in every county. In an event that more than one e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
