Methodology

To collect the text and data used to compile states' constitutional texts, we draw from various sources with the aim of reproducing the official text as ratified by voters and published by states.

Constitutional Text

Current Text

For states without full Tracking Constitutional Change capabilities, the site displays the current constitutional text as of the date of the last update. The text is drawn from copies of the current constitution as published online by state legislatures or other state government sources.

Historical Text

For states with full constitutional histories, the original constitutional text is drawn from original copies of the constitution. Amended provisions are entered as approved by voters. In most cases, this means that grammatical and spelling errors original to the constitution or amended provisions are preserved. In some cases, the official compilation of the constitution fixes some of these errors without going through the amendment process. In these cases, we have updated the most recent version of the provision to match the official compilation and included a note regarding the correction.

Article & Section Titles

In the majority of states, the titles of articles and sections (which go by various names depending on the state) are generally not considered official parts of the constitution. However, states frequently publish their constitutions with titled articles and/or sections to improve clarity. Although not considered part of the constitutional text, we have included titles when they are made available by the state. For those states where their constitutions are published without article and/or section titles, titles have been omitted.

Effective Dates

Effective dates for states with full constitutional histories are established by the relevant law governing effective dates at the time of an amendment's passage. In some cases, the documentation needed to establish the effective date is unavailable. In those cases, the closest approximation is used—e.g., the election date or the date of another document that is issued directly following the amendment becoming effective. For states without full constitutional histories, the effective date relies on the effective date provided by the state's publication of the constitution or lists the date of the election in which the provision was ratified.