PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — On Tuesday, Nov. 5, Rhode Islanders get to make a once-in-a-decade decision: Should the state hold a constitutional convention? If voters approve Question 1, elected delegates could propose changes to the state constitution, and then Rhode Islanders would vote on the proposed changes. The Secretary of State's Office estimates the convention would cost between $2.6 and $4.8 million. Yet a debate is brewing over what would happen if voters approved a convention. Local organizations, including Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Rhode Island, and several unions, have formed R.I. Citizens for Responsible Government to urge voters to reject Question 1. "We're very concerned that we could once again see anti-abortion amendments come up, especially since the General Assembly here has protected that right," the ACLU's Steven Brown said in July. "It would require a constitutional amendment to undo that. We can see amendments that are designed to take away the rights of the LGBTQ community, the rights of immigrants. These are all hot-button issues across the country." The coalition has put together a campaign warning voters that abortion and minority rights could be at risk if the state holds a convention. In an interview on Newsmakers in September, local AFL-CIO President Patrick Crowley said he worries special interest groups could dominate the convention, especially after the 2010 Supreme Court decision Citizens United v. FEC, when the court determined corporations could put out election messaging. "A low turnout election could mean that it wouldn't be reflective of everyday Rhode Islanders," Crowley said. But some are skeptical that a Democratic-leaning state like Rhode Island could be at risk of implementing an anti-abortion amendment. "I doubt very much that would happen," said Timothy Duffy, the Executive Director of the Rhode Island Association of School Committees. "But there are issues like the right to education that could be addressed." Duffy has been advocating for years for Rhode Island to add an amendment to the state constitution, following in the steps of Massachusetts. He said the amendment would give students the ability to use the courts if their education is being blocked in any way. He said it could allow students to file lawsuits to put an end to a teachers' strike or increase education spending. "We depend on property taxes to fund education at an alarming rate," he said. "So this would essentially say that the state has to invest more." According to a 2023 URI poll, 52% of Rhode Islanders strongly approve of a constitutional right to education, but legislative leaders have since blocked it. Rhode Island is one of many states that has a convention bond question every ten years. The last time the state held a convention was in 1986. Duffy noted that the 1986 convention created the crime victim's bill of rights and established the Victim's Assistance Formula Grant Program, making it the first state in the country to do so. "They put that before the voters, and the voters supported it," Duffy said. "I think that was a very good addition to the constitution. I don't see anything emanating from a constitutional convention that would be injurious to Rhode Islanders. And if it happened to be injurious to Rhode Islanders, Rhode Islanders have a right to say, 'No, thank you.'" Kate Wilkinson ([email protected]) is a Target 12 investigative reporter for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and Facebook. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Nesi's Notes SIGN UP NOW