Ballot measure · Iowa · November 3, 2026

Constitutional Amendment 1

On Iowa's statewide ballot on November 3, 2026.1,2,3,4

Research draftReferred by the legislatureConstitutional amendment
How it got there
Referred by the legislature
Kind of measure
Constitutional amendment
To pass
A majority of the votes on it
Researched
October 27, 2026

Research draft. We gathered this from official sources on October 27, 2026: election offices, state laws and court records, each linked to its source. Separate reviewers checked a random sample of 48 facts from the ballot-measure research against the cited sources and found no errors. The rest hasn't been reviewed fact by fact yet, so check the linked source before relying on anything here.

§1What your vote means

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

A yes vote

A yes vote would add a new Article XIII requiring at least two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the legislature to pass a bill that raises a state income tax rate, raises the rate of another tax based on income or legal and special reserves, or creates a new state tax of that kind, with local-option taxes exempt.1,4 SJR 11, sec. 1

A no vote

A no vote would leave the constitution without this rule, so a bill that raises a state income tax rate, raises the rate of a similar tax, or creates a new tax of that kind would still pass with a majority of the members elected to each house, as other bills do.1,5 Iowa Const. art. III, § 17

More about it

Under the amendment, a lawsuit claiming such a bill was not properly passed would have to be filed within one year after it is enacted, and each bill covered by the rule would have to include a separate provision describing the two-thirds requirement.1 SJR 11, sec. 1

§2How it got on the ballot

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Referred by the legislature. The legislature voted to put it on the ballot.1,2,3,4

Constitutional amendment. It would change the state constitution.1,2,3,4

The legislature passed this amendment in two sessions, as House Joint Resolution 2006 in 2024 and Senate Joint Resolution 11 in 2026, and directed that it go to voters at the November 2026 general election.1,2

It is on Iowa's list of statewide measures for November 3, 2026.2,3,4 None of the official sources we read calls the list certified or final, so we don’t either. What we couldn't confirm about the list is in the notes on Iowa's measures.

§3What it needs to pass

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

A majority of the votes on it. The amendment passes if a majority of the voters who vote on it vote yes.5 Iowa Const. art. X, § 1