RK ARCHIVE - Constitutional Amendments

Amendments to Virginia's constitution require two readings before the General Assembly, passage two years in a row of the exact same bill language, and with an election in between those 2 sessions. After that it goes on the ballot for the voters to decide.

Now let's think about 2008 constitutional amendment bills - in particular ones to restore voting rights and ones to create a bi-partisan redistricting commission. This thinking is prompted by the fact that yesterday, the Senate Privileges and Elections committee just sent Sen. Yvonne Miller's SJ7 voting rights bill with a 15-0 vote to the 2009 P&E committee. (H/T to Vivian for the update.)

Q: When is the next GA election? A: 2009, when we have statewide races for Governor, LG, AG, and all 100 House seats. For an election to fall between any constitutional amendment bill, that bill can't pass through the GA until 2009. It passes (1st reading) in the Jan. 2009 GA session. We have an election in Nov. 2009. It passes again (2nd reading) in the Jan. 2010 GA session and is on the ballot in the Nov. 2010 election (a ballot with Sen. Webb, assuming he's not elected VP in 2008, and congressional races on it.)

Not only is the timing off for any passage this year of constitutional amendments, but let's also look hypothetically at the 2009 ballot. This is an important year for Democrats to pick up more House seats, maybe even winning the majority as we'll have a very strong statewide candidates slate to support it. House votes in election year 2009 will be very critically analyzed. This is the chamber that would have very likely in the past killed both the redistricting and the voting rights bills in a heart beat. But will they in 2009 when prying eyes and increasingly educated voting public focuses in? (Crossposted on VB Dems.)

Comments

Yes, Timing is everything (Teddy - 1/17/2008 7:48:02 PM)

as we have learned in connection with gay marriage questions on the ballot, for example. You've raised a good point.

You seem to be implying here--- what, exactly? That restoring felons' voting rights, or reforming re-districting, if they come up in 2010 will be a drag on Webb's re-election? Or perhaps a help? And what will it do to down-ballot Democrats running for the House of Delegates? Will the spiteful conservatives pour out to vote to defeat the restoration bill? Or, will the new, younger voters pour out to re-elect Webb and coincidentally pass the restoration and re-districting?

Then again, by 2010, there may well be some other enormously emotional issue driving voters to the polls. (Maybe the angry male anti-sitting-President Hillary vote will well up and overwhelm us).