Fun with Numbers -- Constitutional Conventions

Every 10 years, Iowans are asked whether they want to pop the hood on the state's constitution by calling a constitutional convention. The issue will be on the ballot this fall.

The gay marriage debate has some folks talking about the possibility of approving a convention to take up the issue. But historically, Iowans have been very reluctant to go down that road.

Here are the results of the last 10 Con Con votes:

Year                 Yes                                    No

1900                176,337                       176,892

1910                134,983                       166,054

1920                279,652                       221,763

1930                140,667                       195,356

1940                199,247                       352,142

1950                221,189                       319,704

1960                469,463                       530,915

1970                204,517                       214,663

1980                404,249                       640,130

1990                179,762                       491,179

2000                306,468                       622,256

(Sources: Iowa Secretary of State, Iowa Official Register, Cedar Rapids Gazette archives)

Iowa's last constitutional convention was in 1857. A  convention did win the majority support of voters in 1920. But it was never held.

The late, great Statehouse scribe Harrison Weber explained the 1920 punt in a story that ran in The Gazette on Sept. 28, 1970:

The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation was concerned that it did not have legal authority to establish farmer cooperatives.

It was feared that co-ops, without capital stock and not operated for profit, would be held illegal under Iowa's constitution on the grounds they were operating in restraint of trade.

But it was determined during the 1921 legislative session that farmer co-ops could be set up without violating the provisions of the constitution, so the legislature passed a law which took care of the problem.

Consequently there was no big demand for a constitutional convention and the issue withered on the political vine and a convention was not held, nor has one been held since.

On Election Day 1970, it looked like a convention had been approved. This story appeared on The Gazette's front page on Nov. 4, 1970:

Calling of Convention Is Favored

DBS MOINES (AP) - To the "complete amazement and surprise" of Secretary of State Melvin Synhorst, Iowa voters Tuesday said they want a constitutional convention, a vote that could make major headlines from the election.

Both major parties and a number of civic groups all had recommended that the question- required on the ballot every 10 years as a matter of form - be defeated.

Synhorst called the vote "really quite a shocker" and said "I don't think anybody even thought this could occur."

Voters gave the measure a slim margin, with 150,797 votes in favor to 149,921 against, with 67.7 percent of precincts reporting.

Synhorst said the vote means the next legislature must call a constitutional convention and prescribe a method for selecting delegates. The convention is to propose amendments to the constitution, and those amendments are to be put to the electorate.

Wide Open

"This breaks the whole thing wide open," said Synhorst.

Quizzed about speculation some voters may have been confused on the issue, Synhorst said "we have to presume this is the will of the people though I have some personal doubts about it ... This just points up the need for a good explanation on the ballot of every constitutional amendment."

Newsmen had speculated that some voters may have confused the convention call with three relatively noncontroversial constitutional amendments on the ballot.

The three amendments had bipartisan support, and none had drawn any reported opposition. All passed with solid majorities, and it was thought many -voters who approved the proposal may have mistakenly approved the convention call as well.

A spirited campaign to call such a convention failed in I960.

Three counties reporting in the incomplete returns - Johnson, Mitchell and Grundy - showed majorities of more than 60 percent favoring the move, sparking some speculation of a miniresurgence of advocates for the proposal.

The amazement and surprise didn't last long.  When the votes were canvassed a week later, it turned out that the con con had failed. Not exactly "Dewey Defeats Truman," but interesting.

The last time there was a serious campaign calling for a convention was in 1980, when Iowans for Tax Relief founder David Stanley led the charge for constitutional limits on government taxing power. The effort had the backing of the Iowa Farm Bureau, among other groups, but failed.

Gov. Robert Ray was opposed the idea, and so were most Iowans, even though early polls showed support for Stanley's propoals.

Coverage at the time said opponents of the 1980 convention raised serious questions about how it would be structured and conducted. (I can remember seeing "Vote No No on Con Con" bumper stickers as a kid) In the end, Iowans were skittish about popping the hood.