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Ohio's first constitution
Ohio's first constitution contained about 6,000 words. This particular version of the constitution remained in effect for five decades and was never once amended. This constitution had 8 articles and 106 sections. -
The Second Constitution
Ohio's second constitution was adopted in 1851. This constitution was about 50% longer that the first at about 9,000 words. This constituiton was overall very popular, and most citizerns agreed in its length and content. It contained 16 articles and 168 sections. -
The 1874 Constitutional Convention
During the constitutional convention in 1874, Ohio voted on whether or not to adopt its third constitution. It ultimately faild because it contained over 15,000 words. Voters argued that it was "overly complex" and "contained too much legislation. -
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Constituton growth
During this time the constitution grew the most. 6,502 words were added with 40 amendments -
The 1912 Constitution
Rather than replacing the constitution completely, the 1912 constitutional convention drafted a series of amendments to the 1853 constituion. 34 amendments were adopted, which added nearly 7,000 words to the constitution. -
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Constitutional growth
During the 2000s only 10 amendments were adopted, but it increased the word count of the constitution to a little over 12,000 words. This high volume of words suggests that Ohio has made a shift in how it writes constitutional amendments -
The modern constitution
Today the constitution is made of 18 articles, 224 sections, and 53,421 words. This is about 8.5 times longer than the 1802 constitution.