With Almost 60,000 Words, Ohio Now Has the Ninth Longest State Constitution

According to the most recently issued edition of Book of the States, the number of words in the Ohio Constitution has increased to 59,858, and Ohio now has the ninth longest state constitution in the nation. See General Information on State Constitutions, Book of the States, 2021 (Table 1.3). [General Information on State Constitutions] The Ohio Constitution is also almost eight times longer than the U.S. Constitution.

 

Ohio currently operates under the 1851 Ohio Constitution, which the voters have amended 170 times. Since the adoption of the constitution in 1851, the number of Articles has grown from sixteen to nineteen, and the number of sections has increased from 169 to more than 225. The Ohio Constitution jumped to almost 60,000 words on January 1, 2021, when the revised Article XI (state apportionment) and the new Article XIX (congressional redistricting) became effective.

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