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Amendment 11

Property Rights; Removal of Obsolete Provision; Criminal Statutes

This amendment, another bundled one which originated with the Constitution Revision Commission, has three parts. It’s a pretty uncontroversial amendment that’s mostly procedural.

Here’s how the amendment reads:

Removes discriminatory language related to real property rights. Removes obsolete language repealed by voters. Deletes provision that amendment of a criminal statute will not affect prosecution or penalties for a crime committed before the amendment; retains current provision allowing prosecution of a crime committed before the repeal of a criminal statute.

The first part repeals a clause that allows the legislature to pass laws preventing non-citizens from buying, owning, and selling property. That clause means that the legislature could at some point vote to ban immigrants who haven’t naturalized from owning property.

The second part, about obsolete language, references something about a high-speed rail system that was repealed by voters but wasn’t removed from the constitution at the time. Nothing actionable changes as a result of this.

The third part removes a clause that requires the state to prosecute criminal suspects under the law they were originally charged under, even if that law is changed.

If you vote yes, you are removing a clause that allows the legislature to prevent non-citizens from buying, owning, and selling property, as well as a clause that requires criminals be prosecuted under the law they were charged under, even if that law changes.

If you vote no, the status quo outlined above will be maintained.