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SB 1225

PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE XVII, SECTION 3 OF THE HAWAII CONSTITUTION TO SPECIFY THAT THE STANDARD FOR VOTER APPROVAL OF A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PROPOSED BY THE LEGISLATURE IS A MAJORITY OF ALL THE VOTES TALLIED UPON THE QUESTION.

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Stanley Chang and 4 co-sponsors

Clarifies Hawaii constitutional amendment approval requires majority of votes cast on amendment, not majority of all election ballots, lowering the approval threshold.

Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
#amendmentprocess #constitutionalamendment #generalelections #tallying #votes(conam)
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Bill Summary · SB 1225

Legislative bill overview

SB 1225 proposes amending Hawaii's constitution to clarify that constitutional amendments proposed by the legislature require approval by a majority of all votes cast on that specific question, rather than a majority of all ballots cast in the election. This is a technical clarification of the voting threshold for constitutional amendments in Hawaii.

Why is this important

Constitutional amendment approval standards directly affect how easily the state constitution can be modified. The distinction between "votes on the question" versus "all ballots cast" can significantly impact amendment passage rates, as the latter standard requires amendments to clear a higher threshold by counting every voter who participated in the election, even those who didn't vote on the specific amendment question. This change would lower the effective approval threshold for future constitutional amendments.

Potential points of contention

  • Ease of constitutional change: Lowering the approval threshold may make it easier to amend the constitution, raising concerns about whether the document becomes too malleable or subject to passing reforms without supermajority consensus
  • Voter intent interpretation: Disagreement over whether non-votes on a constitutional question should count as opposition or simply be excluded from consideration
  • Precedent and stability: Constitutional scholars may argue that higher thresholds protect constitutional stability, while reform advocates may argue majority-of-votes-cast is more democratic

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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