Rhode Island voters Tuesday soundly rejected holding a once-a-decade constitutional convention, but approved all four ballot questions to authorize state borrowing.
As of 12:00 a.m., with 98% precincts reporting and with mail ballots, here’s how Rhode Islanders voted:
- Question 1: Reject 62.6% to 37.4%
- Question 2: Approve 59.6% to 40.4%
- Question 3: Approve 65.5% to 34.5%
- Question 4: Approve 67.2% to 32.8%
- Question 5: 56.1% to 43.9%
Question 1: The Constitutional Convention
The Rhode Island Constitution will remain as is after voters opted against calling the first state-level constitutional convention in the United States since 1986. That 1986 convention was, of course, in Rhode Island.
Since that last convention Ocean State’s ruling Democrats have successfully mobilized against gathering a group together to look at potential changes to state government’s founding text, and this year proved no different.
The governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, speaker and Senate president all opposed Question 1, as did powerful Democratic-aligned interest groups led by organized labor and abortion rights advocates.