From the North Carolina Institute for Constitutional Law
Amending the State Constitution
Jan 25th, 2012
by Jeanette Doran
Amending the State Constitution: What Voters Need to Know about the Ballot Question
January 20, 2012
The North Carolina Constitution provides two ways in which it can be amended: by convention of the people or by legislative initiative. Historically, North Carolina’s constitutional amendments have come by legislative initiative, i.e., a proposal from the General Assembly. The State Constitution sets forth the procedure by which the General Assembly may initiate and the people may ratify or reject an amendment:
A proposal of a new or revised Constitution or an amendment or amendments to this Constitution may be initiated by the General Assembly, but only if three-fifths of all the members of each house shall adopt an act submitting the proposal to the qualified voters of the State for their ratification or rejection. The proposal shall be submitted at the time and in the manner prescribed by the General Assembly. If a majority of the votes cast thereon are in favor of the proposed new or revised Constitution or constitutional amendment or amendments, it or they shall become effective January first next after ratification by the voters unless a different effective date is prescribed in the act submitting the proposal or proposals to the qualified voters.
