Connecticut’s Constitution can be changed, but not quickly. A proposed amendment has to clear the General Assembly under special vote rules and then win approval from voters. This explainer follows the path set out by the legislature’s nonpartisan Office of Legislative Research (OLR) and notes what is, and is not, on the ballot in 2026.
Step 1: A joint resolution is introduced
According to OLR, any legislator may propose an amendment, and it is introduced as a joint resolution, a process that generally follows the same steps as a bill. Joint standing committees can also raise resolutions that fall within their subject area. The Government Administration and Elections (GAE) Committee has cognizance over constitutional amendments, and most resolutions are taken up there.
One rule matters in even-numbered years like 2026: individual legislators may propose only amendments that are of a fiscal nature, OLR says.
Step 2: The legislature votes
What happens next depends on the size of the vote:
- Three-fourths of the membership of each chamber. The resolution goes on the ballot at the next regular state election. OLR counts that as 114 votes in the 151-member House and 27 in the 36-member Senate.
- A majority of the membership of each chamber, but less than three-fourths. The resolution is referred to the General Assembly session held after the next regular state election. That legislature must approve it by majorities in both chambers before it can go on the ballot. A majority is 76 in the House and 19 in the Senate.
The second route means voters get a say in between: the legislators who finish the process have been through an election since the first vote. Under Article XII of the Constitution, these resolutions are not subject to the governor’s approval or veto.
Step 3: Voters decide
The amendment becomes part of the Constitution if a majority of the electors voting on the proposed amendment vote yes, according to OLR. That is a different measure than a majority of everyone who casts a ballot in the election, so a voter who skips the question is not counted in either direction.
What has passed recently
OLR’s December 2022 brief lists the amendments approved since 2000: voting in primaries by certain 17-year-olds (2008), transportation funding (2018), legislative conveyances (2018) and in-person early voting (2022). The brief shows that amendments are infrequent, with a handful over more than two decades. For voters, the 2022 early-voting amendment is the reason in-person early voting is now part of Connecticut elections. See our voting guide.
Conventions are a separate route
The Constitution can also be amended by a constitutional convention, which Connecticut last held in 1965, OLR says. Voters are periodically asked whether they want one. OLR’s 2022 brief and Ballotpedia give different years for the next such question, so we do not state a year here. Check the Secretary of the State before relying on a date.
What is on the 2026 ballot
Ballotpedia’s 2026 Connecticut election preview does not list a statewide ballot question for November 3, 2026. One proposal that came close to the process this year was S.J. 37, an environmental rights amendment. According to the General Assembly’s bill status, the Government Administration and Elections Committee reported it favorably on March 23, 2026, and the Senate tabled it for the calendar on April 8, 2026, with no further action recorded. A resolution that is not passed by both chambers cannot move on.
Because an amendment needs legislative approval before it reaches voters, the pace is set long before an election. If you want to follow a proposal, search for it by number on the General Assembly website and watch its committee and floor votes.
Sources
- Amending the State Constitution, OLR Report 2022-R-0260
- Connecticut election preview, 2026, Ballotpedia
- Bill status for S.J. 37, Connecticut General Assembly
Frequently asked questions
Does the governor have to sign a constitutional amendment?
No. According to the Office of Legislative Research, resolutions proposing amendments are not subject to gubernatorial approval or veto.
Is there a statewide ballot question on November 3, 2026?
Ballotpedia’s 2026 Connecticut election preview does not list a statewide ballot question. Check the Secretary of the State’s voter guide for your complete ballot.
What votes are needed in the legislature?
Three-fourths of the membership of each chamber (114 in the House and 27 in the Senate, by the OLR’s count) to go straight to the next election ballot, or a majority (76 in the House and 19 in the Senate) in two successive legislatures separated by an election.