An initiated constitutional amendment is an amendment to a state's constitution

Constitution

A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...

 that results from petition by the state's citizens. By utilizing this initiative

Initiative

In political science, an initiative is a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote...

 process, citizens are able to propose and vote on constitutional amendments directly, without need of legislative referral

Legislative referral

A Legislative referral is a form of referendum in which a legislature puts proposed legislation up for popular vote , rather than through the initiative or referendum process...

. When a sufficient number of citizens have signed a petition requesting it, a proposed constitutional amendment is put to the vote.

The initiative process for proposing constitutional amendments may be "direct" or "indirect". States that permit the latter, such as the U.S. state of Mississippi

Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...

, permit legislators an opportunity to propose an alternative amendment which is placed on the ballot alongside the citizen proposal.

Initiated constitutional amendments in United States

In the United States, while no court or legislature need approve the proposal or the resultant initiated constitutional amendment, such amendments may be overturned if they are challenged and a court confirms that they are unconstitutional. Most states that permit the process require a 2/3 majority vote.

Not all amendments proposed will receive sufficient report to be placed on the ballot. Of the 26 proposed petitions filed in the state of Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

 in its 1994 general election, only three garnered sufficient support to be put to the vote.

States allowing initiated amendments

Arizona Arizona Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix... Arkansas Arkansas Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River... California California California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... Colorado Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

Florida Massachusetts Massachusetts The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010... Michigan Michigan Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake".... Mississippi

| Missouri Missouri Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It... Montana Montana Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,... Nebraska Nebraska Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River.... Nevada Nevada Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...

North Dakota North Dakota North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S.... Ohio Ohio Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus... Oklahoma Oklahoma Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state... Oregon Oregon Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

South Dakota South Dakota South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...

Types of ballot measures

Automatic ballot referral Bond issue Commission-referred constitutional amendment Constitutional convention Constitutional convention (political meeting) A constitutional convention is now a gathering for the purpose of writing a new constitution or revising an existing constitution. A general constitutional convention is called to create the first constitution of a political unit or to entirely replace an existing constitution...

Initiated state statute Indirect initiated state statute Initiated constitutional amendment Indirect initiative amendment

Legislative referral Legislative referral A Legislative referral is a form of referendum in which a legislature puts proposed legislation up for popular vote , rather than through the initiative or referendum process... Legislatively-referred state statute Legislatively-referred state statute A legislatively-referred state statute is a statute that appears on a state's ballot as a ballot measure because the state legislature in that state voted to put it before the voters.... Legislatively-referred constitutional amendment Legislatively-referred constitutional amendment A legislatively-referred constitutional amendment is a constitutional amendment that appears on a state's ballot as a ballot measure because the state legislature in that state voted to put it before the voters.... Veto referendum