Con Con Considerations: Duration

Cross posted from ICPR's Blog, The Race is On:

The November ballot will ask voters whether Illinois should have a Constitutional Convention. A Constitutional Convention would be authorized to review any portion of Illinois' Constitution they wanted to -- and to propose an entirely new document, amendments to existing provisions, or additions of new materials.

But the Constitution also leaves much to the General Assembly to determine. Others have taken a position on whether or not there should be a Convention, and even on what issues a Convention should address if it is called. This page is less interested in what a Convention might accomplish as in how it might work.

Ninth in a series

How Long Should the Convention Meet?

There are no Constitutional restrictions on how long a Convention could meet. The Convention in 1920 met for months without producing any results. While the Convention must begin within 3 months of the selection of delegates, it could theoretically continue to meet indefinitely. Is there a point at which the public or the General Assembly should step in and prod them to a conclusion?

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