About
The mission of The State Constitutional Convention Clearinghouse is to educate the public about upcoming periodic referendums on whether to call a state constitutional convention.
Various factors have contributed to the creation of an information vacuum on the subject of periodic state constitutional conventions. These factors include an absence of education on the subject in high school, college, and graduate level courses on American government; lack of academic interest in the subject in the fields of political science, political history, and election law; the infrequent, local, and seemingly quixotic nature of state constitutional convention based democratic reform; and the well-resourced and fierce opposition to state constitutional conventions by state legislatures and groups most effective at exerting influence via state legislatures. Despite these factors, the periodic state constitutional convention serves an essential democratic function within the system of American government. It is also an institution worthy of improvement.
To report mistakes on this website, please use this website’s contact form. It is inevitable that links on this website will become non-operational over time. Many broken links can be accessed by going to https://archive.org/web (The Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine) and entering the broken link.
Detailed information about each state with a periodic constitutional convention referendum is not located on this website, but on state-specific subdomains. States with such websites include Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, and Rhode Island. States that will be added in the next few years include Connecticut, Illinois, Montana, and Ohio.
I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions. But laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors.
I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society, but the people themselves: and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is, not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education. This is the true corrective of abuses of constitutional power.
[T]o me the convention mode seems preferable, in that it allows amendments to originate with the people themselves, instead of only permitting them to take or reject propositions originated by others, not especially chosen for the purpose, and which might not be precisely such as they would wish to either accept or refuse.
Website Editor,
J.H. Snider
J.H. Snider is the editor of the State Constitutional Convention Clearinghouse and author of Periodic State Constitutional Convention Referendums: Their Development Since America’s Founding (Routledge, 2026).
The State Constitutional Convention Clearinghouse is a project of iSolon.org, a public policy institute that focuses on the most difficult areas of democratic reform─where elected officials have a conflict of interest in bringing about reforms that might reduce their own power. Snider has been president of iSolon.org since 2007.
Snider has held research positions at Harvard University’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics; the Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy; New America; the American Political Science Association; Northwestern University; and the Harvard Business School. He holds a Ph.D. in American Government from Northwestern University and an A.B. in Social Studies from Harvard College.
Snider is a member of Oxford University’s U.S. State Constitutions Network and has published more than seventy local op-eds on upcoming state constitutional convention referendums. See The U.S. State Con-Con Papers (SSRN 2026).
Book, Conference Presentations, and Articles
Providing a Comparative (multi-state) Perspective
(in reverse chronological order)
2026 Book
Snider, J.H., Periodic State Constitutional Convention Referendums: Their Development Since America’s Founding, Routledge, May 6, 2026.
Book Summaries
Snider, J.H., Expand Democracy, June 15, 2026. Medium Length.
Snider, J.H., J.H. Snider Substack, May 26, 2026. Longest
Snider, J.H., Election Law Blog Book Corner, May 11, 2026. In four short parts.
2024 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association
Campaign Spending Law & Politics for Constitutional Convention Referendums: A Case Study of Alaska, paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Philadelphia, Sept. 7, 2024.
2023 Conference on Direct Democracy
J.H. Snider’s presentation, Reforming the Process of Democratic Reform, at the Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy, Mexico City, March 2, 2023.
2023 Series on Campaign Finance-Related Issues
(The Fulcrum is a trade publication for America’s Democratic Reform Community)
- Snider, J.H., Part IV: Reforming constitutional convention campaigns, The Fulcrum, Jan. 30, 2023.
- Snider, J.H., Part III: The failed constitutional convention campaign finance marketplace, The Fulcrum, Jan. 23, 2023.
- Snider, J.H., Part II: Deterrence helps explain the spending spree, The Fulcrum, Jan. 16, 2023.
- Snider, J.H., Part I: Alaska’s constitutional convention spending spree, The Fulcrum, Jan. 9, 2023.
2022 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association
The Development of the Periodic State Constitutional Convention Referendum Since America’s Founding, paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Montreal, Sept. 18, 2022.
2021 Conference on State Constitutions
J.H. Snider’s presentation, How the Public Reasons about State Constitutional Convention Referendums, at State Constitutions and Governance in the U.S., a conference held at the Utah Valley University Center for Constitutional Studies, November 3-4, 2021.
2021 Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association
Voting on Constitutional Reform in the States, 79th Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, Illinois, April 15, 2021. Snider presented a paper, “The Periodic State Constitutional Convention in Early American Thought,” at this panel discussion on state constitutional reform. This panel analyzes voter decision-making on state constitutional changes, whether amendments to state constitutions or referenda on calling a state constitutional convention. Within the video recording, Snider’s presentation begins at 55:40.
2017 Journal Article on State Constitutional Convention Referendums
- Snider, J.H., Does the World Really Belong to the Living? The Decline of the Constitutional Convention in New York and Other US States, 1776–2015, Journal of American Political Thought 6, no. 2 (Spring 2017): 256-293. Summarized in Snider, J.H., Opportunity for Reform: Educate New Yorkers on constitutional convention, Albany Times Union, June 10, 2017.
2016 Symposium on State Constitutional Convention Referendums
- Snider, J.H., et al., The Politics of State Constitutional Reform, American Political Science Association Law & Courts Section, Fall 2016.
2016 Course on State Constitutional Convention Referendums
- Snider, J.H., et al., A Political Primer on the Periodic State Constitutional Convention Referendum, Short course presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Philadelphia, PA, August 31, 2016.
Compilation of State-Specific Articles
Snider, J.H., The U.S. State Con-Con Papers, Social Science Research Network, June 24, 2024. This is a compilation of the non-scholarly articles listed below. It has two advantages over the links below. First, many of the articles below are behind paywalls or have broken links. Second, its book format provides a different and more convenient type of access for many purposes. My complete list of related papers published on the Social Science Research Network can be found here.
State-Specific Commentaries on the
Periodic State Constitutional Convention Referendum
Michigan’s 2026 Constitutional Convention Referendum
Snider, J.H., Why political elites fear a Michigan constitutional convention, Bridge Michigan, April 27, 2026.
Rhode Island’s 2024 Constitutional Convention Referendum
- Snider, J.H., The disinformation campaign against a R.I. constitutional convention, Boston Globe, Nov. 2, 2024.
- Snider, J.H., RI voter handbook is biased against ballot Question 1, Providence Journal, Oct. 19, 2024.
- Snider, J.H., Following the money on Question 1, Rhode Island Current, Oct. 17, 2024.
- Snider, J.H., Stop using history to shoot down a constitutional convention, Rhode Island Current, Oct. 7, 2024.
- Snider, J.H., Why the opposition’s weird fixation on easily fixable ConCon flaws?, Warwick Beacon, Oct. 3, 2024.
- Snider, J.H., Constitutional convention’s benefits outweigh cost, Providence Journal, Sept. 7, 2024. The print edition version of this op-ed was published under the title RI’s flawed obsession with a constitutional convention’s cost.
- Snider, J.H., Legislature does a disservice to RI’s constitutional convention process, Providence Journal, June 23, 2024. The print edition version of this op-ed was published under the title Legislature is Subverting State’s ConCon Process.
- Snider, J.H., and Gary Sasse, It’s past time for RI to prep for Nov. 5 constitutional convention, Providence Journal, May 12, 2024. The print edition version of this op-ed was published under the title Give priority to prep for constitutional convention.
U.S. Virgin Islands 2023-2024 Constitutional Convention Enabling Act
(The last time a U.S. state enacted a constitutional convention enabling act was close to four decades ago.)
- Snider, J.H., Policy Brief: The Proper Scope of USVI’s Constitutional Convention, USVI Constitutional Convention Clearinghouse, January 2, 2024.
- Snider, J.H., Policy Brief: Fixing USVI’s Constitutional Convention Enabling Act, USVI Constitutional Convention Clearinghouse, March 27, 2023, revised with addendum on January 1, 2024. The accompanying original news release can be found here.
- Snider, J.H., USVI’s End-run Against America’s State Constitutional Tradition, Constitutional Conversations (a publication of the Center for Constitutional Design based at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law), June 7, 2023. Permanent Link.
- Snider, J.H., Implementing the Constitutional Convention Voters Approved in 2020, The Virgin Islands Consortium, March 24, 2023. Permanent Link.
- Snider, J.H., Where a U.S. Territory Can’t Get Its Own Constitution: A Self-Serving Legislature Drives the Plot in a Story of Democratic Failure, Zocalo Public Square, March 2, 2023. Permanent Link.
Alaska’s 2022 Constitutional Convention Referendum
- Snider, J.H., Congrats to the anti-ConCon coalition: They’ve run a brilliant campaign, Juneau Empire, Nov. 1, 2022.
- Snider, J.H., The lieutenant governor’s sizable role in the constitutional convention, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Oct. 20, 2022. For a copy of the article in the format of a news clipping, click here.
- Snider, J.H., Why is a convention referendum on the ballot this fall?, Juneau Empire, Oct. 6, 2022.
- Snider, J.H., Apparent biases at work in creating pro-ConCon statement, Juneau Empire, June 8, 2022.
- Snider, J.H., Derailing Alaska’s Constitutional Convention Referendum, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Feb. 20, 2022. For a copy of the article in the format of a news clipping, click here.
- Snider, J.H., Preparing for Alaska’s constitutional convention referendum, Juneau Empire, Feb. 9, 2022. Permanent Link.
Missouri’s 2022 Constitutional Convention Referendum
- Snider, J.H., Missourians have a new opportunity to demand a constitutional convention, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 4, 2022. Permanent link.
- Snider, J.H., Appellate judges should call a jury to pick state Senate’s redistricting map, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Jan. 24, 2022. Permanent link.
New Hampshire’s 2022 Constitutional Convention Referendum
- Snider, J.H., Why Vote for a Con-Con Nov. 8th? Top-Four Primary With Ranked-Choice Voting, New Hampshire Journal, Oct. 16, 2022.
- Snider, J.H., Why is ‘con con’ on the Nov. 8 ballot?, Concord Monitor, Oct. 16, 2022. Permanent link.
- Snider, J.H., Why is the constitutional convention question on the fall ballot?, New Hampshire Union Leader, May 6, 2022. Note that this is substantially the same op-ed as the one published below in the New Hampshire Journal. Permanent link.
- Snider, J.H., Why Is a Constitutional Convention Question on NH Ballot This Fall?, New Hampshire Journal, April 28, 2022. Permanent link.
Iowa’s 2020 Constitutional Convention Referendum
- Snider, J.H., It’s time to talk about a constitutional convention, The Globe Gazette, November 1, 2020. Permanent link.
- Snider, J.H., Iowa’s constitutional convention process, a triumph of democracy, could be improved, The Gazette, October 10, 2020. Permanent link.
- Snider, J.H., 3 things Iowans should consider about constitutional convention referendum, Iowa City Press-Citizen, September 21, 2020. No permanent link.
- Snider, J.H., Regular Iowans can change things by voting for a constitutional convention on Nov. 3, Des Moines Register, August 16, 2020. No permanent link.
Hawaii‘s 2018 Constitutional Convention Referendum
- Snider, J.H., Who Spent What, When, and Where on the Con-Con Referendum, Hawai`i Free Press, November 3, 2018.
- Snider, J.H., Con-Con: Hawaii’s only hope for term limits, Hawai`i Free Press, November 1, 2018.
- Snider, J.H., The War Between Civil Beat and Star-Advertiser on the Con-Con Referendum, Hawai`i Free Press, October 27, 2018.
- Snider, J.H., Con-Con Opponents’ Nostalgia for Hawaii’s Golden Age of Democratic Reform, Hawai’i Free Press, October 21, 2018.
- Snider, J.H., The Advertised Cost of a Constitutional Convention, Hawai’i Free Press, October 17, 2018. Also published in The Garden Island on October 18, 2018.
- Snider, J.H., Why Con-Con Opponents Willfully Ignore Legislative Bypass Issues, Hawai’i Free Press, October 13, 2018.
- Snider, J.H., To Oppose A ConCon Is To Oppose Constitutional Democracy, Civil Beat, October 10, 2018.
- Snider, J.H., Want Term Limits? A Con Con Is Your Only Hope, Civil Beat, September 21, 2018.
- Snider, J.H., Analysis of Candidate Position Statements on the Nov. 6 ConCon Referendum, Hawai’i Free Press, August 3, 2018.
- Snider, J.H., Take the time now to understand the ‘Con Con’ question, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, June 14, 2018.
- Snider, J.H., State Constitutional Convention Was Hijacked In ’96 — It May Happen Again, Honolulu Civil Beat, April 30, 2018.
- Snider, J.H., Con-Con: The People v. Hawaii Supreme Court, Hawai’i Free Press, April 30, 2018. Note: this is a longer version of the April 30, 2018 op-ed above.
- Snider, J.H., Hawaii’s biased constitutional convention ballot question, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, March 22, 2018.
- Snider, J.H., Preparing For Hawaii’s Next Constitutional Convention Vote, Honolulu Civil Beat, December 7, 2017.
New York’s 2017 Constitutional Convention Referendum
- Snider, J.H., New York’s Con Con Ballot is Biased, Gotham Gazette, November 3, 2017.
- Snider, J.H., A con-con is a check on legislative corruption, Albany Times Union, October 26, 2017.
- Snider, J.H.,11th Hour Barrage: Why Opponents Attack The Constitutional Convention Process—Not Its Substance, City & State, October 23, 2017, pp. 20-1. Republished as Dueling Experts, Part II: The Pros and Cons of Con Con, October 25, 2017.
- Snider, J.H.,The Historical Antecedents for New York’s ConCon Debate, City & State, October 15, 2017.
- Snider, J.H., Don’t trust a Constitutional Convention? Then you don’t trust the people, U.S.A. Today Network, September 13, 2017. The U.S.A. Today Network also published a video version of the op-ed in their New York State papers: Trust New Yorkers? Then trust a Constitutional Convention, September 13, 2017.
- Snider, J.H., Why Foes Of A State Constitutional Convention Have The Upper Hand, City & State, September 10, 2017.
- Snider, J.H., Pension Issue Surreptitiously Drives New York ConCon Politics, City & State, July 12, 2017.
- Snider, J.H., Opportunity for Reform: Educate New Yorkers on constitutional convention, Albany Times Union, June 10, 2017.
- Snider, J.H., A Constitutional Right to Healthy Schools?, Gotham Gazette, April 21, 2017.
- Snider, J.H., Needed: Fresh Eyes to Improve New York’s Constitution–Part 2, Gotham Gazette, March 10, 2017.
- Snider, J.H., Needed: Fresh Eyes to Improve New York’s Constitution–Part 1, Gotham Gazette, March 3, 2017.
- Snider, J.H., New York Needs a Political Primer on the State Constitutional Convention Referendum, Gotham Gazette, December 5, 2016.
- Snider, J.H., The Best Delegate Election Process for a New York Constitutional Convention, Gotham Gazette, November 17, 2016.
- Snider, J.H., New York’s Coming ConCon Battle, Gotham Gazette, March 24, 2016.
- Snider, J.H., Cuomo’s Preparatory Commission Should Prioritize Fixing ConCon Process, Gotham Gazette, January 19, 2016.
- Snider, J.H., Board, independent of Legislature, key to constitution fix, Albany Times Union, November 22, 2015.
- Snider, J.H., Convention a basic N.Y. right, Albany Times Union, August 24, 2015.
- Snider, J.H., Preparing for New York’s Next Constitutional Convention Referendum, Gotham Gazette, June 4, 2015.
Illinois’ 2016 Constitutional Initiative Referendums
- Snider, J.H., Rauner’s best route may be constitutional convention, State Journal-Register, December 27, 2015.
Rhode Island’s 2014 Constitutional Convention Referendum
- Snider, J.H., and Beverly Clay, Constitutional Convention records speak for themselves, Warwick Beacon, November 4, 2014.
- Snider, J.H., and Beverly Clay, Constitutional Convention and the out-of-state-money bogeyman, Providence Journal, October 24, 2014.
- Snider, J.H., and Beverly Clay, Constitutional Convention purpose? Democratic reform, Valley Breeze, October 21, 2014.
- Snider, J.H., 1787: Vote No Against Convening a National Constitutional Convention(a satire), GoLocalProv, October 17, 2014.
- Snider, J.H., and Beverly Clay, R.I. handbook shows blatant bias, Providence Journal, September 25, 2014.
- Snider, J.H., and Beverly Clay, R.I.’s poor preparation for convention, Providence Journal, August 2, 2014.
- Snider, J.H., and Beverly Clay, ‘Dark money’ drives R.I. constitutional convention votes, Providence Journal, June 13, 2014.
- Snider, J.H., and Sage Snider, R.I. needs a constitutional convention,Providence Journal, March 21, 2014.
Blog Posts on Rhode Island’s 2014 Constitutional Convention Referendum
- Snider, J.H., Post-Mortem: Rhode Island’s Nov. 4, 2014 Referendum to Convene a State Constitutional Convention, RhodeIslandConCon.info, November 8, 2014.
- Snider, J.H., and Beverly Clay, Yes Coalition Files Complaint with Board of Elections; BOE Rules on Complaint, RhodeIslandConCon.info, October 31, 2014.
- Snider, J.H., and Beverly Clay, The Master Puppeteers Behind R.I.’s 2014 Voter Information Handbook, RhodeIslandConCon.info, October 11, 2014.
- Snider, J.H., Citizens for Responsible Government vs. RenewRI, RhodeIslandConCon.info, September 7, 2014.
- Snider, J.H., and Beverly Clay, The Bi-Partisan Preparatory Commission’s Fifth and Final Meeting, RhodeIslandConCon.info, September 4, 2014.
- Snider, J.H., and Beverly Clay, Bi-Partisan Preparatory Commission’s Third & Fourth Meetings, RhodeIslandConCon.info, August 23, 2014.
- Snider, J.H., and Beverly Clay, Bi-Partisan Preparatory Commission’s Second Meeting, RhodeIslandConCon.info, August 8, 2014.
- Snider, J.H., and Beverly Clay, The Bi-Partisan Preparatory Commission’s First Meeting, RhodeIslandConCon.info, August 2, 2014.
Maryland’s 2010 Constitutional Convention Referendum
- Snider, J.H., Maryland manipulates “majority” vote, Maryland Reporter, November 5, 2012
- Snider, J.H., On gambling vote, what is meant by a ‘majority’?, Baltimore Sun, September 23, 2012
- Snider, J.H., How to fix Maryland’s D-minus in corruption, Washington Examiner, March 30, 2012.
- Snider, J.H., Here’s why Maryland politicos must convene a constitutional convention, Washington Examiner, March 12, 2012.
- Snider, J.H., It will take a con-con to untangle Maryland’s gerrymanders, Washington Post, February 12, 2012
- Snider, J.H., State ignores voters on constitutional convention; Majority voted in favor of con-con in 2010, yet it hasn’t been convened, Baltimore Sun, January 19, 2012.
- Snider, J.H.,Con-con promise comes due for O’Malley, Washington Post, November 14, 2010.
- Snider, J.H., and Alan Tarr, A Historic Year for State Con-Cons, Huffington Post, October 12, 2010.
- Snider, J.H.,The road to term limits in Maryland: A constitutional convention is the state’s best chance for reform, Baltimore Sun, September 22, 2010.
- Snider, J.H., Maryland’s Ballot Surprise, Baltimore Sun, January 8, 2010.
Other
Analogous Process at the Local/Charter level of Government
Snider, J.H., Fix Anne Arundel’s decennial charter revision process, Washington Post, Oct. 5, 2016.