Want a constitutional convention in 2026? Here’s how much it could cost the state.
By Christopher Shea, Rhode Island Current
The potential price tag was revealed Wednesday during the second to-last meeting for the bipartisan commission gathering input for a voter information guide. Joseph F. Rodgers, general counsel for the commission, told the panel the $4.6 million figure was the high end of the estimate, while the low is $2.6 million.
That low estimate is roughly what the $891,000 the state paid when the last convention met in 1986 would be today when adjusted for inflation.
A convention question typically goes on the ballot in years ending in the number four. Rhode Island voters rejected ballot questions asking if a convention should be held in 1994, 2004, and 2014.
If voters say yes to a convention, the final cost would depend on the overall logistics, which would ultimately be chosen by the 75 convention delegates who would be elected in 2025. That includes whether delegates would be paid (which the General Assembly opted against when the last convention was held in 1986), the number of full-time employees, along with finding a place to meet.
When the convention was last held in 1986, delegates used the Garrahy Judicial Complex in downtown Providence for office space and committee hearings.
“As any lawyer today is aware — we could not do that at Garrahy Courthouse any more,” Rodgers said.
Length of the convention is also a factor in whether the final price tag is closer to the $2.6 million estimate or $4.6 million. In 1973, delegates met for one month and cost the state $20,000 — or $139,177 when adjusted for inflation.
The 1986 convention began in January and ran through early December — one full month after voters approved eight of the 14 amendments placed on the ballot. Rodgers said the General Assembly through legislation sought to conclude the convention by the time potential amendments were placed on the November ballot, but the convention delegates said they’d only dissolve with a two-thirds vote.
“These are unknowns, I have no idea what will happen in the future,” Rodgers said.
What is certain is how much it would cost to hold a special election for convention delegates in 2025: a minimum of $1.3 million, State Elections Director Rob Rock told commissioners.
Rock said the Secretary of State’s Office would spend roughly $430,000 toward printing ballots, postage for mail ballots, and a voter education guide. The Rhode Island Board of Elections would spend roughly $90,000 for seasonal staff, updating voting equipment, and delivering equipment to local polling sites.
The bulk of the cost — $800,000 — would fall onto Rhode Island’s 39 municipalities to hire poll workers, palace legal ads and renting polling locations. Towns could save money if they were limited to just one precinct each, suggested Board of Elections Director Miguel Nuñez told commissioners.
Rock said those election figures are also based on the assumption that the special election will be a nonpartisan general ballot in November 2025.
“If there were a primary, those costs would increase quite a bit,” Rock said.
The bipartisan commission is scheduled to meet for the final time at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28, at the State House, where the panel is expected to review the contents of their report weighing the pros and cons due at the start of next month.
The guide is expected to be mailed either at the end of September or early October, Rock said. It will not include the commission’s full report, but will contain a link for voters to read online.
Proponents for holding a convention argue that changing Rhode Island’s governing document gives the public a chance to update how the state operates. Opponents, meanwhile, say it opens the path for well-funded special interest groups to roll back many of the state’s civil liberties and reproductive rights.
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