JOINT RESOLUTION TO APPROVE AND PUBLISH AND SUBMIT TO THE ELECTORS A PROPOSITION OF AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION -- OF SUFFRAGE (Proposes to the voters of the state a constitutional amendment regarding eligibility to vote and to be a candidate.)

Plain-English Summary

This is a joint resolution in the Rhode Island legislature that would ask voters to approve a change to the state's constitution. Specifically, it deals with the rules about who is eligible to vote and who is eligible to run for office (be a candidate) in Rhode Island. Because it involves changing the constitution — the state's most fundamental legal document — the legislature itself cannot simply pass it into law. Instead, voters across the state would have the final say in a ballot vote.

The bill was introduced and sent to the House State Government & Elections Committee, which has since recommended that it be held for further study rather than moved forward immediately. A hearing was scheduled for March 19, 2026. This means the proposal is still in early stages and has not yet been approved to go before voters.

It's important to note that the available information does not detail the *specific changes* being proposed to voting eligibility or candidate eligibility rules — only that changes to those rules are being considered. Rhode Island residents interested in the exact wording of the proposed constitutional amendment would need to review the full bill text to understand precisely what would change and how it might affect them. Until the legislature votes to advance it and voters approve it, no changes take effect.