Ballot measure · Tennessee · November 3, 2026

Constitutional Amendment #3

On Tennessee'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
See below
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 replace Article I, Section 35 with a longer list of crime victims' rights, adding rights to fair treatment, to take part in the parole process, to protection from harassment and abuse, to learn the offender's minimum sentence and release date, and to have safety considered before any release, while restating the existing rights.1,3 Ballot summary and new art. I, § 35

A no vote

A no vote would keep the current Article I, Section 35, which gives crime victims rights such as being told about and attending public criminal proceedings, being heard, conferring with the prosecution, a speedy resolution and restitution, without the added rights.1 Ballot summary

More about it

The amendment says it does not create grounds to overturn a conviction, does not limit the powers of district attorneys or courts, and does not create a claim for damages against the state.1,3 New art. I, § 35, final paragraphs

§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 114th General Assembly approved this amendment in 2025 as Senate Joint Resolution 9, as amended, for the 2026 governor's election ballot.3,4

It is on Tennessee's list of statewide measures for November 3, 2026.1,2 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 Tennessee's measures.

§3What it needs to pass

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

A rule explained on its page. The share of votes needed to pass is set by Article XI, Section 3 of the Tennessee Constitution, which we could not read on an official site, so the exact rule is not stated here.3 Final resolving clauses (submission under Tenn. Const. art. XI, § 3)