The Constitution
One of the oldest still in force, and it is not amended the way statutes are: a CACR needs three fifths of both chambers and then the voters.
On this page
Cite this page
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- MLA
- “The Constitution.” Granite Record, https://graniterecord.org/learn/the-constitution. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.
- APA
- Granite Record. (n.d.). The Constitution. Retrieved 24 Oct. 2026, from https://graniterecord.org/learn/the-constitution
- Chicago
- Granite Record. “The Constitution.” Accessed 24 Oct. 2026. https://graniterecord.org/learn/the-constitution.
- BibTeX
@misc{learn-the-constitution, title = {The Constitution}, howpublished = {Granite Record}, url = {https://graniterecord.org/learn/the-constitution}, note = {Accessed 24 Oct. 2026} }
In Two Parts
New Hampshire's constitution took effect in 1784 and is among the oldest still in force anywhere. It is in two parts. Part First is the Bill of Rights — forty-four articles on what the state may not do. Part Second is the Form of Government: the House, the Senate, the Governor, the Council, the courts, and how each is chosen. The whole text, article by article, is on the Laws page.
It Is Not Amended the Way Statutes Are
A statute changes when a bill passes both chambers and the Governor signs it. The constitution does not. A change starts as a CACR — a Constitutional Amendment Concurrent Resolution — and it has to clear three thresholds, none of which involves the Governor.
How It Starts
- Filed as a CACRA Constitutional Amendment Concurrent Resolution, which may start in the House or the Senate. Statutes change by bill; the constitution does not.
The First Chamber
- Three fifths of the members in officeNot three fifths of those voting: an absent member counts against it, a vacant seat does not. In 2012 the House carried CACR 26 with 239 votes, when 397 members were in office: three fifths of 397 is 238.2, so 239 was enough, where 240 would have been needed with every seat filled.Three fifths of its members
The Second Chamber
- The same threshold againThree fifths of the other chamber's members in office, on the same terms: 240 when all 400 House seats are filled, and 15 of a full Senate of 24.Three fifths of its members
The Voters
- At the next general electionPut to the people, where it takes effect only if two thirds of those voting on the question approve it.Two thirds of those voting on it
- The Governor has no partNo signature and no veto, at any point in this course.
Why Almost None Get Through
Of the 545 CACRs filed since 1989, 18 passed both chambers. Three fifths is counted against the members in office rather than against those voting, so a member who does not vote counts against it, and a CACR can win even three fifths of those voting and still fail. In the 2025–2026 term, 10 CACRs won a majority of those voting in the House and still fell short.
In the Record
The 2025–2026 term filed 31 CACRs. One passed both chambers and goes to the voters at the state general election in November 2026.
| What became of them | CACRs |
|---|---|
| Passed both chambers; goes to the voters in November 2026 | 1 |
| Killed outright | 12 |
| Fell short of three fifths on the House floor3 of them after passing the Senate | 10 |
| Failed a floor vote | 1 |
| Died on the table | 1 |
| Died when the session ended | 6 |
They sit in the bill list beside ordinary bills. A CACR that shows "Passed one chamber" has a much longer way to go than a bill with the same words beside it.