Rhode Island Question 1, Name Change Amendment (2010)

Rhode Island Question 1
Election date November 2, 2010
Topic Constitutional language and Motto and symbols
Status d Defeated
Type Constitutional amendment	Origin State legislature

Rhode Island Question 1, the Name Change Amendment, was on the November 2, 2010 ballot in the state of Rhode Island as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment. It was defeated.

A "yes" vote supports amending the state constitution to change the name from "State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" to "State of Rhode Island."

A "no" vote opposes amending the state constitution to change the name from "State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" to "State of Rhode Island."

Election results

Rhode Island Question 1
Result		Votes	Prozentualer Anteil
Yes		71,162	22.13%
No		250,466	77.87%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Text of amendment

Ballot title

The ballot title for Question 1 was as follows:

"

Approval of the amendment to the Title, Preamble and Section 3 of Article III of the Rhode Island Constitution set forth below will have the effect of changing the official name of the State from "State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" to "State of Rhode Island": [ ] Approve [ ] Reject

”

Short title summary

The short summary written by the Rhode Island Legislature was as follows:

"

To approve and publish, and submit the electors a proposition of amendment to the Constitution of the State (Change the name of the State).

”

Constitutional changes

The measure was proposed to amend the Title, Preamble and Section 3 of Article III of the Rhode Island Constitution to read as follows.

Constitution of the State of Rhode Island

Support

Voting for Rhode Island led the campaign in support of Question 1.

Supporters

• Univocal Legislative Minority Advisory Coalition
• Rhode Island State Representative Joseph Almeida (D)
• Rhode Island State Representative Anastasia Williams (D)
• Rhode Island State Representative Grace Diaz (D)

Arguments

• Voting for Rhode Island said, "Clearly, no one alive today is responsible for the crimes of the past, however it is our responsibility to acknowledge our history as to ensure that the remnants of a hurtful past are discussed and laid to rest. ... Voting For Rhode Island recognizes that when Roger Williams named the area 'Providence Plantations' he did so without malice; however, as the state would go on to take a lead in the slave trade, the word 'Plantation' would eventually change into a very negative term."
• State Representative Joseph Almeida (D), who sponsored the bill, said, "It's high time for us to recognize that slavery happened on plantations in Rhode Island and decide that we don't want that chapter of our history to be a proud part of our name."

Opposition

Opponents

• Former Governor Donald Carcieri (R)
• State Representative Michael Rice (D)
• State Senator Leo Blais (R)

Arguments

• Keith Stokes, executive director for the Rhode Island Economic Council, who traced his ancestry to African slaves brought to colonial Newport in the 17th century, opposed this measure. He was also the previous executive director of the Newport Chamber of Commerce. Stokes said that changing the name would be “at best historical revisionism and at worst downright censorship. I strongly urge Rhode Islanders to reject any effort to rewrite Rhode Island history by eliminating 'plantations' from our official state name. We learn more by looking at ourselves honestly in the clear light of day than we do by hiding or uselessly trying to erase our past.”
• Brian Stinson, a professional research historian and writer, who specialized in Newport History, said, “Will the November election be the first time voters anywhere could change history? Those seeking to shorten the state’s name have no documentation to support their case. This misguided initiative is based on myth, not fact. Falsely and mistakenly linking the 'plantation' with slavery in Rhode Island could wipe out the accomplishments of founders Roger Williams and John Clarke and shred one of the most important pieces of our state’s history, which – when true and accurate – should be shared by all. In this case, the name had nothing to do with slavery – period."

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls and 2010 ballot measure polls

Fleming & Associates of Cumberland, R.I conducted a poll of 500 participants on whether they supported or opposed the name change. The results of the poll are below:

Rhode Island Question 1, Name Change Amendment (2010)
Poll	Support name change	Oppose name change	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size
Fleming & Associates of Cumberland, R.I poll 10/21/2010-10/25/2010	16%	71%	13%	+/-4.38	500
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected].

Path to the ballot

The measure was introduced by Representatives Joseph Almeida, Anastasia Williams and Grace Diaz on February 4, 2009. Section 1 of Article 14 of the Rhode Island Constitution says that the Rhode Island General Assembly can initiate the process of amendment "by a roll call vote of a majority of the members elected to each house." Lawmakers approved the measure's ballot placement by a vote of 70-3.

See also

Suggest a link

• Rhode Island legislature considering state name change
• Rhode Island 2010 ballot measures
• 2010 ballot measures

External links

• Sample ballot for the Rhode Island ballot questions
• RI to vote on dropping 'Plantations' from its name

Supporters

• Voting for Rhode Island official site
• Urges a ‘yes’ vote on Question 1