Isabella Carter
Georgia's constitution has been amended several times since the original constitution was drafted in 1777. The state has had ten constitutions, with the current and tenth constitution ratified in 1982 and implemented in 1983. This constitution has been amended 91 times, with the last amendment approved by voters on November 5, 2024. The processes of amending the constitution and writing a new constitution are laid out in Article Ten of the constitution.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Current Constitution | 1983 |
| Previous Constitution | 1976 |
| Number of Constitutions | 10 |
| Number of Amendments | 91 |
| Last Amended | November 5, 2024 |
| Minimum Vote Required for Amendments | 50% plus 1 |
| Legislative Vote Required for Amendments | 66.67% (120 votes in the House of Representatives and 38 in the State Senate) |
| Convention Vote Required for Amendments | 66.67% in both houses of the General Assembly and a simple majority of state voters |
Explore related products
$33.27 $38.75
What You'll Learn
Georgia's 1983 constitution
Georgia's current constitution, which was last amended in 2024, was adopted in November 1982 and came into effect in July 1983. It is the tenth Georgia State Constitution, replacing the previous 1976 constitution. This 1983 constitution is the largest re-write since 1877.
The 1983 Constitution is 113 pages long and includes a Preamble, a Bill of Rights (Article I, Section I), and a label providing information about resolution reading and passage in both houses of the General Assembly. Article X of the 1983 Constitution outlines the procedures for amending the Constitution. Amendments may be proposed in the Georgia legislature and must be approved by a two-thirds majority vote of both the state House and state Senate. They must then be ratified by a majority of electors qualified to vote for members of the General Assembly.
The Constitution can also be amended by proposal at a constitutional convention, which must be supported by a two-thirds majority vote of both houses of the legislature and a simple majority of state voters. A constitutional convention can be called if two-thirds of the members of both houses of the Georgia General Assembly agree.
Georgia's previous constitutions include the 1789 Constitution, which brought the state in line with the United States Constitution; the 1798 Constitution, which brought the popular election of the governor; the 1861 Constitution, which added a Bill of Rights; the 1865 Constitution, which prohibited slavery; the 1868 Constitution, which established free public education; and the 1945 Constitution, which introduced a lieutenant governor.
Amendments to the Constitution: A Historical Timeline
You may want to see also
Georgia's 1976 constitution
Georgia has had ten different constitutions in its history, not counting its royal charter granted in 1732. The current and tenth Georgia State Constitution was ratified on November 2, 1982, replacing the previous 1976 constitution.
The 1976 constitution was amended in 1977 when a select committee was created to discuss its revision. The committee included the governor, lieutenant governor, the speaker of the House, the attorney general, representatives of the General Assembly, and the judicial branch. An agreement on a new constitution was made in August 1981, and the document was submitted to the General Assembly in a special session in August and September of the same year. The constitution was approved on September 25, 1981, and went to vote in the general election.
The 1976 revision produced little change beyond reorganizing the document's provisions. Before the 1976 revision, the constitution contained 831 amendments and was the nation's longest. The 1982 constitution streamlined the previous one and did away with authorization for local amendments.
Georgia's first formal constitution was drafted in 1777. This document made the legislature the most powerful branch, with the governor relying on the executive council for many decisions. The executive council was composed of 12 members, comprising the legislators voted in by the legislators of the House of Assembly. The council was to oversee and advise the governor, with the power to veto the governor's actions and grant pardons. The 1777 constitution included Articles on freedom of religion, the press, trial by jury, habeas corpus, and protection against excessive fines.
The adoption of the new federal constitution obliged Georgia to implement a new state one. Following three separate conventions, a new constitution was adopted in 1789. The new document replaced the unicameral Congress with a bicameral General Assembly, and the executive council was abolished. The legislature was given the power to elect the governor, and freedom of the press, trial by jury, and freedom of religion were guaranteed.
The Amendments: Constitutional Convention's Proposed Changes
You may want to see also
Georgia's 1945 constitution
Georgia has had ten different constitutions in its history, not counting its royal charter, granted in 1732. The current and tenth Georgia State Constitution was ratified on November 2, 1982, replacing the previous 1976 constitution. The current constitution has been amended 91 times, with voters last approving amendments on November 5, 2024.
The 1945 Constitution was the eighth constitution in Georgia's history. It brought about the addition of a lieutenant governor. The constitution was drafted by the General Assembly and was submitted to the people for ratification or rejection in the General Election in August 1945. The ratification ballot asked voters to write or print "for the amendment revising the Constitution" or "against the amendment revising the Constitution." If a majority of those voting approved the amendment, the governor would proclaim the amendment as the revised Constitution of Georgia.
The 1945 Constitution was preceded by the 1877 Constitution, which was amended 23 times before the Civil War. In 1866, Congress passed the Military Reconstruction Acts, which placed Georgia and other former Confederate states under military rule. This led to African Americans participating in the state government for the first time. The state government called for a convention to adopt a new constitution in 1868, which aimed to provide rights for African Americans and promote racial equality in the state.
The 1868 Constitution was itself preceded by the 1865 Constitution, which was drafted following the Civil War. This constitution retained many of the provisions of the 1861 Constitution, including the bill of rights it introduced. The 1861 Constitution was drafted by a Secession Convention led by Thomas Reade Rootes Cobb, the Convention's chairman. It included a longer bill of rights than the 1798 Constitution, which did not include such a bill.
Amendment History: Second Amendment's Constitutional Past
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Georgia's 1868 constitution
Georgia has had ten different constitutions in its history, not counting its royal charter, granted in 1732. The current and tenth Georgia State Constitution was ratified on November 2, 1982, replacing the previous 1976 constitution. The current constitution has been amended 91 times, with voters last approving amendments on November 5, 2024.
The Constitution of 1868 was drafted in the aftermath of the Civil War, during a period of Presidential Reconstruction. The 1865 Constitution had been adopted during this era, but in 1866, Congress passed the Military Reconstruction Acts, which placed Georgia and other former Confederate states under military rule. As a result, African Americans began to participate in the state government, along with "scalawags" (Southerners who cooperated with the U.S. military) and "carpetbaggers" (Northerners who moved to the South following the war).
The new state government called for a convention to adopt a new constitution in 1868. The 1868 Constitution aimed to provide rights for African Americans and promote racial equality in the state. Its bill of rights incorporated the 14th Amendment into the state constitution, and suffrage was granted to all males over the age of 21 regardless of race.
The 1868 Constitution also established free public education. It mandated the segregation of the state's public schools, a notable contrast to the previous constitution, which had focused on providing rights for African Americans.
The 1868 Constitution was amended through 1877.
Amending the Constitution: Adapting to Change
You may want to see also
Georgia's 1789 constitution
Georgia has had ten different constitutions in its history, not counting its royal charter, granted in 1732. The current and tenth Georgia State Constitution was ratified on November 2, 1982, replacing the previous 1976 constitution. The constitution can be amended by proposal at a constitutional convention or in the Georgia legislature, with the latter requiring a two-thirds majority vote of both the state House and state Senate. Voters last approved amendments to the Georgia Constitution on November 5, 2024.
The Georgia Constitution of 1789 was the shortest of the state's constitutions. It was modelled after the U.S. Constitution, which Georgia had ratified in 1788, and aimed to address weaknesses in the Georgia Constitution of 1777. The 1789 Constitution provided for a bicameral legislature, an executive branch, and a judicial branch. The legislature, or General Assembly, was elected and had the power to select a governor, modelled after the U.S. president as the commander of Georgia's military forces. While the 1789 Constitution prohibited the importation of enslaved Africans after 1798, slavery itself continued under this constitution.
The 1789 Constitution was amended several times before the Civil War. In 1795, a convention was held to amend the document, which reapportioned the House of Representatives among the counties, with each county receiving one state senator. The state capital was also moved from Savannah to Louisville. Another convention was held in 1798, led by James Jackson, Georgia's former U.S. Senator and governor at the time. The constitution produced by this convention prohibited land sales similar to those that had prompted the Yazoo fraud scandal.
The 1789 Constitution was replaced by the Constitution of 1798, which brought about the popular election of the governor. This constitution would remain in effect for 63 years, until it was replaced by the Constitution of 1861, which added a Bill of Rights. The Constitution of 1865 further expanded the Bill of Rights and introduced a two-term limit for governors, and the Constitution of 1868 established free public education and granted suffrage to all males over the age of 21 regardless of race.
Massachusetts Constitution Amendments: Ratification Timeline
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
Georgia has had 10 constitutions.
The Georgia Constitution was last amended on November 5, 2024.
The current Georgia Constitution, created in 1983, has been amended 85 times.
The 1983 amendments were made to streamline the previous constitution and alter the process for making amendments.
The Georgia Constitution of 1777 was the original constitution of the state.
