en en en en fr en en en en it en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en de en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en sv en en en it en en en de it en en en ms it en en en en it en en en en it en en en en it en en en en it en en en de en es en en de it en en en de it en en en de en en en en en en en en lv en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en fi ca en es es en en zh cv en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en
A complete guide and amendment tracker for proposed changes to Pennsylvania’s Constitution · Spotlight PA
Investigations Events Newsletters Staff Tips State College SearchSupport Us
by Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PA
Since 1968, the year Pennsylvania’s current constitution went into effect, voters rejected only six of 49 proposed amendments that reached them.
HARRISBURG — The slow, multiyear process of amending the Pennsylvania Constitution has become the tool of choice for Republican lawmakers seeking to enact policy and avoid the governor’s veto.
Last year, the proposals the legislature sent voters all received approval. Two limited the governor’s power to declare and sustain a state of emergency, and the other enshrined protection against discrimination based on race in Pennsylvania. Lawmakers are now considering a number of proposed changes that could radically reshape how parts of the state government work.
But despite the potential significance of these changes, it’s difficult to track them as they move through the process.
Amending the constitution, though cumbersome, does not involve the governor. Instead, proposed constitutional amendments, after passing both chambers of the General Assembly two sessions in a row, become referenda that voters can approve or reject in the following election. If a majority of voters approve an amendment — and it survives any legal challenges — it goes into effect and becomes part of the constitution.
Since 1968, the year Pennsylvania’s current constitution went into effect, voters rejected only six of 49 proposed amendments that reached them. Only 14 of those ballot questions appeared during presidential or gubernatorial election years, races that typically see higher turnouts.
Since the latest two-year session began in January 2021, Democratic and Republican legislators have proposed more than 70 changes to the state constitution.
Most of these proposed amendments are still stuck at the beginning of the process and haven’t been considered by lawmakers. Of those actually moving through the General Assembly, two could be on the ballot this year:
One would eliminate statewide elections for Pennsylvania’s appellate judges and give the legislature the power to draw regional districts, a proposal critics have warned could lead to judicial gerrymandering
The other would eliminate the separate ballot for judicial retention elections
Spotlight PA scoured this session’s bills to identify all the changes legislators want to make to the state constitution. We’ll update the below database when new proposals are introduced and as existing ones move through the process.
Click here if you have trouble loading this visualization
WHILE YOU’RE HERE… If you learned something from this story, pay it forward and become a member of Spotlight PA so someone else can in the future at spotlightpa.org/donate. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results.
THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING...
We believe everyone in Pennsylvania should have access to trusted public-service and investigative journalism. That’s why we don’t have a paywall on our site, charge a subscription fee, or clutter our articles with ads that have nothing to do with our state.
Instead, we use the honor system.
Each of our stories costs hundreds if not thousands of dollars to produce. If you learned something today, do your part and join our effort to rebuild reliable, high-quality local journalism in Pennsylvania by making a tax-deductible contribution of any amount. We can’t do this work without you.
Support Spotlight PA »
I am a robot
Never Miss a Story
Sign up for PA Post and get a free daily email with top news from across PA, plus some fun, too.
You’re invited! Pennsylvania’s top election official answers your voting questions live
by Spotlight PA Staff
Photo Courtesy Chris Harter
Talk of a tax increase is driving a wedge between leaders of a growing Pa. township and its fire company
by Min Xian of Spotlight PA State College
Leise Hook / For Spotlight PA
Pa. law protects workers who are approved for medical marijuana — but once they use it, it’s a different story.
by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA
THE LATEST ON COVID-19
Dan Nott / For Spotlight PA
Pa. COVID updates: Your guide to finding resources on cases, vaccines, and tests
by Spotlight PA Staff
THOMAS HENGGE & STEVEN M. FALK / Philadelphia Inquirer
Pa. election 2022: Your complete guide to the candidates for governor
by Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PA, Ethan Edward Coston of Spotlight PA and Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA
More Stories from Spotlight PA
Wolf asks GOP-led legislature to spend Pa.’s federal aid dollars as he pitches $1.8B boost for education
by Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PA and Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA
TIM TAI / Philadelphia Inquirer
Voters could be flooded with proposed changes to the Pa. Constitution in 2023
by Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PA
TOM GRALISH / Philadelphia Inquirer
Looming election jolts Harrisburg into action as Pa. lawmakers pass a flurry of bills, cash in on fundraisers
by Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PA
Blaine McCartney / The Wyoming Tribune Eagle via AP, JULY 29, 2018, FILE PHOTO
Skill games company woos Pa. lawmakers with trips to wild Wyoming rodeo
by Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA
TOM GRALISH / Philadelphia Inquirer
Clandestine plan to force a vote on Pa. legislative gift ban fails, lawmakers shrug
by Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PA
TOM GRALISH / Philadelphia Inquirer
How Harrisburg Works: The rules for Pa. lawmaker per diems, speaker v. leader, and other Q&As
by Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PA
TOM GRALISH / Philadelphia Inquirer
Pa.’s unreliable lobbyist disclosure website is getting a user-friendly upgrade
by Kate Huangpu of Spotlight PA
New report on racial bias in Pa. State Police traffic stops delayed by data problems, officials say
by Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PA
TOM GRALISH / Philadelphia Inquirer
Pa. lawmakers are set to get huge raises next year. They can return them, but almost nobody does.
by Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PA
TYGER WILLIAMS / Philadelphia Inquirer
Critics call water quality bill moving through Pa. legislature a back door to privatization
by Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PA
Spotlight PA relies on funding from foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results.
If you value this reporting, please give a gift today at spotlightpa.org/donate.
Special Projects & Investigations
This site is powered by Netlify
228 Walnut St., #11728
Could not load results. ${error.message}
Sign Up For Our Free Newsletters
Get every Spotlight PA story and
the best investigative journalism from across Pa.
PA Post (Daily): Top news every weekday morning, plus a daily puzzle.
The Investigator (Weekly): Best accountability journalism every Thursday, plus a weekly riddle.
PA Local (Weekly): A fresh look at the incredible people, places, and food of Pa. every Friday, plus events, guides, best-of, and more.