Vermont Constitution
Chapter I
Chapter II
Powers
Legislative
Executive
Judiciary
Voter Qualifications
Elections
Oath
Impeachment
Militia
Provisions
Amending
Schedule

TheVermont Constitution is thestate constitution ofVermont.

• The current Vermont Constitution was adopted in 1793.
• Vermont has had one state constitution.
• The current state constitution has two chapters.
• The current Vermont Constitution has been amended53 times.
• Voters last approved two new amendments to the state constitution onNovember 8, 2022.

A state constitution is the fundamental document that outlines a state's framework for governance, including the powers, structure, and limitations of the state government, individual and civil rights, and other matters.

Background

The first Constitution of Vermont was written in July 1777, almost six months after Vermont declared itself an independent state. It was amended in 1786 upon recommendation of the Vermont Council of Censors, a body charged by the Constitution with recommending Constitutional amendments and reviewing the constitutionality of legislation.^[1]

Vermont wasadmitted into the Union in 1791. At that time the 1786 Constitution continued in effect. The governor of Vermont,Thomas Chittenden, who had assumed office in October 1790, when Vermont was still an independent country, continued his one-year term of office. The Governor's Council, the Council of Censors, and the judges in all courts in the state also continued to hold their offices under the same Constitution.^[1]

Two years after Vermont's admission to the Union, the Constitution was amended in its entirety in 1793. One occasion for replacing the 1786 constitution was that it was no longer appropriate for the constitution to enumerate the grievances against the government of New York which had been a major reason for Vermont's declaring itself a separate state. The constitution was modeled after the 1777 Constitution of the Vermont Republic, which was ratified whenVermont was a de-facto independent country. That constitution was amended in 1786 and again in 1793. In 1913, majorconstitutional revisions to the constitution changed much of the core structure.^[1]

Chapter I

See also:Chapter I, Vermont Constitution

Chapter I of the Vermont Constitution is entitled "A Declaration of the Rights of the Inhabitants of the State of Vermont." It is divided into 21 articles.

Click here to read this chapter of the Vermont Constitution.

Chapter II

See also:Chapter II, Vermont Constitution

Chapter II of the Vermont Constitution is entitled "Plan or Frame of Government." It encompasses the remaining parts of the constitution.

Delegation and Distribution of Powers

See also:Delegation and Distribution of Powers, Vermont Constitution

"The Delegation and Distribution of Powers" part of the Vermont Constitution contains five sections.

Click here to read this section of the Vermont Constitution.

Legislative Department

See also:Legislative Department, Vermont Constitution

The "Legislative Department" part of the Vermont Constitution contains 14 sections.

Click here to read this section of the Vermont Constitution.

Executive Department

See also:Executive Department, Vermont Constitution

The "Executive Department" part of the Vermont Constitution contains eight sections.

Click here to read this section of the Vermont Constitution.

Judiciary Department

See also:Judiciary Department, Vermont Constitution

The "Judicial Department" part of the Vermont Constitution contains 14 sections.

Click here to read this section of the Vermont Constitution.

Qualifications of Freemen and Freewomen

See also:Qualifications of Freemen and Freewomen, Vermont Constitution

The "Qualifications of Freemen and Freewomen" part of the Vermont Constitution contains one section.

Click here to read this section of the Vermont Constitution.

Elections; Officers; Terms of Office

See also:Elections; Officers; Terms of Office, Vermont Constitution

The "Elections; Officers; Terms of Office" part of the Vermont Constitution contains 13 sections.

Click here to read this section of the Vermont Constitution.

Oath of Allegiance; Oath of Office

See also:Oath of Allegiance; Oath of Office, Vermont Constitution

The "Oath of Allegiance; Oath of Office" section of the Vermont Constitution contains one section.

Click here to read this section of the Vermont Constitution.

Impeachment

See also:Impeachment, Vermont Constitution

The "Impeachment" part of the Vermont Constitution contains two sections.

Click here to read this section of the Vermont Constitution.

Militia

See also:Militia, Vermont Constitution

The "Militia" part of the Vermont Constitution consists of one section.

Click here to read this section of the Vermont Constitution.

General Provisions

See also:General Provisions, Vermont Constitution

The "General Provisions" part of the Vermont Constitution contains twelve sections.

Click here to read this section of the Vermont Constitution.

Amendment of the Constitution

See also:Amendment of the Constitution, Vermont Constitution

The "Amendment of the Constitution" part of the Vermont Constitution contains two sections.

Click here to read this section of the Vermont Constitution.

Temporary Provisions

See also:Temporary Provisions, Vermont Constitution

The "Temporary Provisions" part of the Vermont Constitution contains three sections.

Click here to read this section of the Vermont Constitution.

Amending the Vermont Constitution

Section 72 of the Vermont Constitution lays out the procedure governing changes to theVermont Constitution. Vermont does not feature the power ofinitiative for eitherinitiated state statutes orinitiated constitutional amendments.

Legislature

See also:Legislatively referred constitutional amendment

Atwo-thirds (66.67%) vote is required in theVermont State Senate and a simple majority vote is required in theVermont House of Representatives in the first legislative session. A simple majority vote is required in both chambers in the second legislative session to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 20 votes in theVermont State Senate and 76 votes in theVermont House of Representatives in the first session and 16 votes in the state senate and 76 votes in the state house in the second session, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

Convention

See also:Convention-referred constitutional amendment

The Vermont Constitution, like that ofseveral other states, does not provide forconstitutional conventions. Perhaps as a result, Vermont's current constitution is one of the oldest in the country, having been adopted in 1793. TheMassachusetts Constitution is the only older constitution.

Although there are no provisions in the state's constitution governing the calling of a constitutional convention, in 1969, theVermont State Legislature referred an advisory measure to the ballot which asked "Shall a Vermont Constitutional Convention be convened at the state house in Montpelier on October 6, 1969 to consider the following topics which shall receive a majority of the votes cast upon it in this election, and no others?" The question was rejected by the voters.

See also

• State constitution
• Constitutional article
• Constitutional amendment
• Constitutional revision
• Constitutional convention
• Amendments
  • Initiated constitutional amendment
  • Legislatively-referred constitutional amendment
  • Publication requirements for proposed state constitutional amendments
  • Rules about constitutional conventions in state constitutions
  • State constitutional articles governing state legislatures

External links

Suggest a link

• Vermont State Legislature, "Constitution of Vermont"

Footnotes

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