Iowa Constitution

Iowa Constitution
Articles
Preamble • I • II • III • Legislative • IV • V • VI • VII • VIII • IX • X • XI • XII

The Iowa Constitution is the state constitution of Iowa. It is the state's fundamental governing document, and includes a Preamble and twelve Articles.

Preamble

Main article: Preambles to state constitutions

The preamble to the Iowa Constitution says:

WE, THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF IOWA, grateful to the Supreme Being for the blessings hitherto enjoyed, and feeling our dependence on Him for a continuance of those blessings, do ordain and establish a free and independent government, by the name of the STATE OF IOWA, the boundaries whereof shall be as follows:

Summary

• Article I describes the rights of the citizens of Iowa in great detail.
• Article II details the rights of suffrage and the election process.
• Article III divides the government into the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
• The Legislative establishes the legislative department and details its responsibilities.
• Article IV establishes the executive department and outlines the powers of the governor.
• Article V establishes the court system of the judicial department.
• Article VI concerns the state militia.
• Article VII deals with state debts.
• Article VIII concerns the formation of corporations, as well as their privileges and limitations.
• Article IX establishes the public school system.
• Article X describes how constitutional amendments are made.
• Article XI contains miscellaneous governmental provisions.
• Article XII is the schedule, which is designed to ease the transition from territory to state.

Amending the constitution

Main article: Amending state constitutions

Article X governs the ways in which the state's constitution can be changed over time.

Article X allows:

• Legislatively-referred constitutional amendments. For the Iowa General Assembly to place a proposed amendment on the ballot, these conditions must occur:

• Two successive general assemblies must vote to put the proposed amendment on a statewide ballot, by majority votes.
• Amendments can be proposed in either chamber.
• Once an amendment is on the ballot, in order to become part of the constitution, it must be approved by "a majority of the electors qualified to vote for members of the general assembly, voting thereon."

• Constitutional conventions, under these conditions:

• Starting in 1970, a question as to whether to hold a constitutional convention is to automatically appear on the ballot every ten years.
• The Iowa General Assembly can also vote to put a constitutional convention question on a statewide ballot at other times.

External links

Wikipedia® has an article on:

Iowa Constitution

• Text of Iowa Constitution
• Constitution of the State of Iowa as maintained by the Iowa General Assembly
• The Constitution of the State Of Iowa, published by the State Historical Society of Iowa, 1902
• The Iowa State Constitution: A Reference Guide

This Constitution article needs to be updated.

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