Isabella Carter
The Washington State Constitution has been amended 108 times since its adoption in 1889. Amendments to the constitution can only be proposed by the Washington State Legislature or a constitutional convention, not through the citizen initiative process. The amendment process must begin in the state legislature and once an amendment has passed with a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate, the people of the state must vote in favor of it. This can be done through a legislative process or a state constitutional convention.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of amendments since adoption in 1889 | 108 or 109 |
| Mechanisms for amending the constitution | Legislative process, state constitutional convention |
| Minimum vote required in the Washington House of Representatives | 66 |
| Minimum vote required in the Washington State Senate | 33 |
| Minimum vote required for voters to approve constitutional amendments | 50% plus 1 |
| Minimum vote required for a constitutional convention question | 66.67% |
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What You'll Learn
Amendments must be proposed in the legislature
The Washington State Constitution provides two mechanisms for amending the state's constitution: a legislative process and a state constitutional convention. Amendments must be proposed in the legislature, and if agreed upon by two-thirds of the members elected to each of the two houses, they are entered into their journals and submitted to the state's qualified electors for approval at the next general election. This is referred to as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment.
The legislative branch in Washington consists of the House of Representatives and the State Senate. For an amendment to be proposed in the legislature, there must be a two-thirds majority vote in each chamber of the Washington State Legislature during one legislative session. This amounts to a minimum of 66 votes in the House of Representatives and 33 votes in the State Senate, assuming no vacancies.
Once an amendment has passed with a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate, it is then submitted to the qualified electors of the state for their approval. The legislature must also cause the amendments to be published for at least three months before the election. If the people approve and ratify the amendment by a simple majority vote (50% plus 1), it becomes part of the Constitution, and a proclamation is made by the governor.
It is important to note that amendments cannot be proposed through the citizen initiative process. They can only be proposed by the Washington State Legislature or a constitutional convention.
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Two-thirds majority required in both houses
The Washington State Constitution has been amended 108 times since its adoption in 1889. Amendments to the constitution can only be proposed by the Washington State Legislature or a constitutional convention, not through the citizen initiative process.
The Washington Constitution provides two mechanisms for amending the state's constitution: a legislative process and a state constitutional convention. In Washington, a referred constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds (66.67%) vote in each chamber of the Washington State Legislature during one legislative session. That amounts to a minimum of 66 votes in the Washington House of Representatives and 33 votes in the Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
According to Article XXIII, Section 1 of the Washington State Constitution, any amendment or amendments to this Constitution may be proposed in either branch of the legislature. If the same shall be agreed to by two-thirds of the members elected to each of the two houses, such a proposed amendment or amendments shall be entered in their journals, with the ayes and noes thereon, and be submitted to the qualified electors of the state for their approval at the next general election.
If a simple majority of voters (50% plus 1) approve the amendment, it shall become part of the Constitution, and proclamation thereof shall be made by the governor. If more than one amendment is submitted, they shall be submitted in such a manner that the people may vote for or against such amendments separately. The legislature shall also cause the amendments that are to be submitted to the people to be published for at least three months before the election.
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Amendments entered in journals, with ayes and noes
The Washington State Constitution has been amended 108 times since its adoption in 1889. Amendments to the constitution can only be proposed by the Washington State Legislature or a constitutional convention, not through the citizen initiative process.
The process of amending the Washington State Constitution is outlined in Article XXIII, Section 1 of the Washington State Constitution. Firstly, an amendment must be proposed in either branch of the legislature. If the amendment is agreed to by two-thirds of the members elected to each of the two houses, it is then entered into their journals, with the ayes and noes, and submitted to the qualified electors of the state for their approval at the next general election.
The legislature must also cause notice of the amendments to be published at least four times during the four weeks preceding the election. If more than one amendment is submitted, they must be presented so that people may vote for or against each amendment separately.
If the people of the state approve and ratify the amendment by a majority vote, the amendment becomes part of the constitution, and a proclamation is made by the governor.
The people of Washington have amended their state constitution 109 times. An example of an amendment is Amendment 54, which authorised an increase during the term in the compensation of certain officers.
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Amendments voted on by the people at the next election
The Washington State Constitution has been amended 108 times since its adoption in 1889. Amendments to the constitution can only be proposed by the Washington State Legislature or a constitutional convention, not through the citizen initiative process.
The Washington Constitution provides two mechanisms for amending the state's constitution: a legislative process and a state constitutional convention. The legislative process is a two-step procedure. First, any amendment to the constitution may be proposed in either branch of the legislature, and if it is agreed to by two-thirds of the members elected to each of the two houses (at least 66 votes in the House of Representatives and 33 in the Senate), the proposed amendment shall be entered in their journals and submitted to the qualified electors of the state (the people) for their approval at the next general election. Second, if the people approve and ratify the amendment by a simple majority vote (50% plus 1), it becomes part of the constitution.
If more than one amendment is submitted, they shall be submitted in such a way that the people may vote for or against each amendment separately. The legislature must also publish notice of the amendments to be submitted to the people at least three or four times during the preceding three or four weeks before the election. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
The state constitutional convention mechanism is a similar process. First, a two-thirds (66.67%) vote is required during one legislative session for the legislature to place a constitutional convention question on the ballot. If a simple majority of voters approve the question, then the legislature needs to call for a convention during its next session.
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Amendments require a simple majority (50% +1)
The Washington State Constitution has been amended 108 times since its adoption in 1889. Amendments to the constitution can only be proposed by the Washington State Legislature or a constitutional convention, not through the citizen initiative process.
The Washington Constitution provides two mechanisms for amending the state's constitution: a legislative process and a state constitutional convention. In Washington, a referred constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds (66.67%) vote in each chamber of the Washington State Legislature during one legislative session. That amounts to a minimum of 66 votes in the Washington House of Representatives and 33 votes in the Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
Once an amendment has passed with a two-thirds majority in both the House and the Senate, the people of the state must vote in favor of it. Washington requires a simple majority vote (50% plus 1) for voters to approve constitutional amendments. If a simple majority of voters approve the amendment, then the legislature needs to call for a convention during its next session.
The process of amending the state constitution through legislatively referred constitutional amendments and the process of bringing together a state constitutional convention are described in Article XXIII of the Washington State Constitution.
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Frequently asked questions
Amendments to the Washington State Constitution can be proposed by the Washington State Legislature or a constitutional convention.
Amendments must be proposed in either branch of the legislature and agreed to by two-thirds of the members elected to each of the two houses. The proposed amendment is then entered into their journals and submitted to the qualified electors of the state for their approval at the next general election. If the majority of electors approve the amendment, it becomes part of the Constitution.
A two-thirds vote is required during one legislative session for the Washington State Legislature to place a constitutional convention question on the ballot. If a simple majority of voters approve the question, the legislature needs to call for a convention during its next session.
The Washington State Constitution has been amended between 108 and 109 times since its adoption in 1889.
