Types of ballot measures in Rhode Island

Types of ballot measures
Initiated
• Initiated constitutional amendment
• Initiated state statute
• Veto referendum
Legislative
• Legislative constitutional amendment
• Legislative state statute
• Legislative bond issue
• Advisory question
Other
• Automatic ballot referral
• Commission-referred measure
• Convention-referred amendment
Select a state from the menu below to learn more about that state's types of ballot measures.
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In Rhode Island, the state Legislature can vote to refer measures to the ballot. Citizens of Rhode Island do not have the power to initiate statewide ballot measures. This page provides an overview of the different types of ballot measures that can appear on state ballots in Rhode Island.

The types of state ballot measures in Rhode Island are:

• Legislatively referred constitutional amendments
• Legislatively referred state statutes
• Legislatively referred bond measures
• Constitutional convention question

Citizen-initiated ballot measures

In Rhode Island, citizens do not have the power to initiate ballot measures at the state level.

Legislative referrals

Legislatively referred constitutional amendments

See also: Legislatively referred constitutional amendment

A simple majority vote is required during one legislative session for the Rhode Island State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 38 votes in the Rhode Island House of Representatives and 20 votes in the Rhode Island State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

Legislatively referred state statutes

See also: Legislatively referred state statute

A simple majority vote is required during one legislative session for the Rhode Island State Legislature to place a state statute on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 38 votes in the Rhode Island House of Representatives and 20 votes in the Rhode Island State Senate, assuming no vacancies. State statutes do require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

Legislatively referred bond measures

See also: Legislatively referred bond measure

In Rhode Island, the state legislature must ask voters to issue general obligation bonds over $50,000, except in the case of war, insurrection, or invasion.

A simple majority vote is required during one legislative session for the Rhode Island State Legislature to place a bond measure on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 38 votes in the Rhode Island House of Representatives and 20 votes in the Rhode Island State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Bond measures do require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

Constitutional convention questions

See also: Constitutional convention question

According to section 2 of Article XIV of the Rhode Island Constitution, a simple majority vote in one legislative session is required for the state legislature to place a constitutional convention question on the ballot. A simple majority vote of the electorate is required to call the convention. The state constitution also requires that a state constitutional convention question is provided to voters at least 10 years after the prior question. Rhode Island is one of 14 states that provides for an automatic constitutional convention question.

The table below shows the last and next constitutional convention question election years:

State	Interval	Last question on the ballot	Next question on the ballot
Rhode Island	10 years	2014	2024

Historical types of ballot measures

Advisory questions

See also: Advisory question

From 1978 to 2006, Rhode Island authorized the governor to request the secretary of state to place non-binding advisory questions on statewide ballots. In 2006, the law was repealed.

Other types of ballot measures

Most ballot measures are placed on the ballot through citizen initiatives or legislative processes. Others are placed on the ballot automatically, by a special commission, or by a state constitutional convention. The following is a list of different types of state ballot measures:

Types of state ballot measures

Citizen-initiated ballot measure

• Initiated constitutional amendment

• Direct initiated constitutional amendment

• Indirect initiated constitutional amendment

• Initiated state statute

• Direct initiated state statute

• Indirect initiated state statute

• Combined initiated constitutional amendment and state statute

• Veto referendum

• Statute affirmation (Nevada)

Legislatively referred ballot measure

• Legislatively referred constitutional amendment

• Legislatively referred state statute

• Legislatively referred bond measure

• Advisory question

Other type of state ballot measure

• Automatic ballot referral

• Constitutional convention question

• Commission-referred ballot measure

• Convention-referred constitutional amendment

• Political party advisory question

See also

• List of Rhode Island ballot measures
• Laws governing ballot measures in Rhode Island
• Laws governing the initiative process
• States with initiative or referendum
• States without initiative or referendum
• Amending state constitutions