Don't forget - Early voting Oct. 15-30, Election Day Nov. 4.
I'd like to give you a quick run down on the different proposed amendments to the State Constitution which will be on the ballot for the Nov. 4, 2014 election.
Before that, here are the different races that will also be on the ballot:
Governor, US Senate, US House Rep. for the 4th
District, TN State Senate for the 13th District, TN State House for districts 34, 37, 48, and 49, Eagleville town Mayor and 3 Council seats, LaVergne town Mayor and 2 Alderman seats, Smyrna town Mayor and 3 Council seats, and in Murfreesboro there is a special election for 1 City Council seat. There is also a Murfreesboro-only measure to allow or prevent wine from being sold in grocery
stores.
For a full sample ballot please check out the Rutherford County Election Commission.
There are four different proposed amendments to Tennessee's Constitution which we will be able to vote for or against.
Amdt. 1 – This
would allow the legislature to enact, amend, or repeal regulations relating to
abortion. There has been a good deal of controversy over this amendment, however, it is important to note that this amendment would only allow the State to pass reasonable regulations. It cannot outright ban abortion nor can those regulations violate Roe v. Wade.
The text on the ballot is as follows:
“Shall Article I, of the Constitution of Tennessee be
amended by adding the following language as a new, appropriately designated
section:
Nothing in this Constitution secures or protects a right to
abortion or requires the funding of an abortion. The people retain the right through
their elected state representatives and state senators to enact, amend, or
repeal statutes regarding abortion, including, but not limited to,
circumstances of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest or when necessary to
save the life of the mother.”
In short:
Voting YES simply gives the State an easier ability to pass reasonable regulations pertaining to abortion.
Voting NO would mean nothing changes, and the State would have to follow the current strict guidelines.
Check out the Yes On 1 campaign website.
Voting YES simply gives the State an easier ability to pass reasonable regulations pertaining to abortion.
Voting NO would mean nothing changes, and the State would have to follow the current strict guidelines.
Check out the Yes On 1 campaign website.
Check out the No On 1 campaign website.
Here are some abortion stats from 2010:
- 16,373
abortions were performed in Tennessee in 2010. This is a six percent
decrease from a decade ago.
- In
2010, 24.5 percent, or roughly one-in-four, abortions were sought by women
from other states. This is a 30 percent increase from a decade ago.
- The
age group most likely to seek an abortion are 10-14. However, this does
not mean that this age group has the most abortions, just that the group
has the most abortions relative to live births.
- The age group with the most abortions, though not the most relative to live births, is 20-24.
Amdt. 2 – This would
empower the governor to appoint judges to the state supreme court or any
other state appellate courts subject
to confirmation by the General Assembly. The appointed judge would
serve an eight-year term. Thereafter, the judge could serve another term via a
retention election by voters.
The current Constitution says that voters have the right to
elect state supreme court judges. Approving this amendment would take that right away. According to the State Constitution,“The
judges of the Supreme Court shall be elected by the qualified voters of the
state.”
The text on the ballot is as follows:
“Shall Article VI, Section 3 of the Constitution of Tennessee
be amended by deleting the first and second sentences and by substituting
instead the following:
Judges of the Supreme Court or any intermediate appellate
court shall be appointed for a full term or to fill a vacancy by and at the
discretion of the governor; shall be confirmed by the Legislature; and
thereafter, shall be elected in a retention election by the qualified voters of
the state. Confirmation by default occurs if the Legislature fails to reject an
appointee within sixty calendar days of either the date of appointment, if made
during the annual legislative session, or the convening date of the next annual
legislative session, if made out of session. The Legislature is authorized to
prescribe such provisions as may be necessary to carry out Sections two and
three of this article.”
In short:
Voting YES means these judges would be appointed by the governor (subject to legislative approval). Then, citizens would be allowed to vote to retain or replace the judges every 8 years.
Voting NO means the people will retain their current right to elect judges.
Amdt. 3 – This
would permanently prevent the legislature from passing a state income or payroll tax.
The text on the ballot is as follows:
“Shall Article II, Section 28 of the Constitution of
Tennessee be amended by adding the following sentence at the end of the final
substantive paragraph within the section:
Notwithstanding the authority to tax privileges or any other
authority set forth in this Constitution, the Legislature shall not levy,
authorize or otherwise permit any state or local tax upon payroll or earned
personal income or any state or local tax measured by payroll or earned
personal income; however, nothing contained herein shall be construed as
prohibiting any tax in effect on January 1, 2011, or adjustment of the rate of
such tax.”
In short:
Voting YES will add a State constitutional amendment banning a state income tax.
Voting NO would keep things the way they are now. It would allow for the income tax issue to come up at a latter date.
Amdt. 4 – This
would allow the legislature to approve of annual lotteries (such as raffles, Bingo, etc.) for 501(c)(3) [non-profits] and 501(c)(19) [veterans] groups so that they can raise needed funds. Currently, only 501(c)(3) groups are allowed to have lotteries, but when the original lottery law was passed, 501(c)(9) groups were overlooked and thus left out. This amendment would not give a blanket legalization of gambling in the state.
The text on the ballot is as follows:
“Shall Article XI, Section 5 of the Constitution of
Tennessee be amended by deleting the following language:
All other forms of lottery not authorized herein are
expressly prohibited unless authorized by a two-thirds vote of all members
elected to each house of the general assembly for an annual event operated for
the benefit of a 501(c)(3) organization located in this state, as defined by the
2000 United States Tax Code or as may be amended from time to time.
and by substituting instead the following language:
All other forms of lottery not authorized herein are
expressly prohibited unless authorized by a two-thirds vote of all members elected
to each house of the general assembly for an annual event operated for the
benefit of a 501(c)(3) or a 501(c)(19) organization, as defined by the 2000
United States Tax Code, located in this state.”
In short:
Voting YES gives veterans groups the right to raise money via annual raffles etc. They would still need the legislature to approve of each "lottery".
Voting NO means that only 501(c)(3) groups could have these events (as they are currently allowed).
Voting YES gives veterans groups the right to raise money via annual raffles etc. They would still need the legislature to approve of each "lottery".
Voting NO means that only 501(c)(3) groups could have these events (as they are currently allowed).
The predominant local view on these amendments is "Yes, No, Yes, Yes." It is also important to note that because these amendments were "legislatively referred," the constitutional amendments must earn a majority of those voting on the amendment and "a majority of all the citizens of the state voting for governor.” This means that if you do not vote for governor (simply leave it blank), then your vote on the amendments will actually weigh more, making it more likely that they'll pass.
