In the five other states the enormous Constitutional
majorities required in a legislative vote on amendments defeated the
measure.
This is the story of a typical year and these are two of the
difficulties which beset the gaining of suffrage "state by state."
Year after year labor is thrown away and money wasted because actual
minorities in legislatures can defeat constitutional amendments; or
because once past the legislature, constitutional technicalities can
keep them away from the polls; or because, safely past these hazards,
a minority vote of the people can defeat a bill that has successfully
reached the polls.
Theoretically an amendment to a state constitution must have the
approval of the Legislature, ratified by the approval of the people.
This ratification is what differentiates it from a statutory law. This
is the actual requirement, however, in but two of the male suffrage
states, South Dakota and Missouri. In all the rest, except Delaware
and New Hampshire, which have special methods of amending, much more
than simple passage and ratification is required.
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