Supporting
Ballot measure committee
Registered; no financial report filed yet.
Constitutional Amendment #1
Tennessee · constitutional amendment · on the November 3, 2026 ballot. The ballot wording, in the state’s own words, each read the same way for rhetorical techniques. We don’t recommend a vote.
On the ballot
no rhetorical technique found
Summary: This amendment changes Article I, section 15 of the Tennessee Constitution by allowing a court to hold a defendant without bail before trial when that defendant is accused of: an offense punishable by the death penalty, an act of terrorism, second degree murder, aggravated rape of a child, aggravated rape, grave torture, or any crime for which a convicted person would be required to serve eighty-five percent of their sentence.
This amendment requires courts to state on the record the reasons for their decision to grant or deny bail in those cases. Question: Shall Article I, Section 15 of the Constitution of Tennessee be amended by deleting the following: That all prisoners shall be bailable by sufficient sureties, unless for capital offences, when the proof is evident, or the presumption great.
And the privilege of the writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in case of rebellion or invasion, the General Assembly shall declare the public safety requires it. and substituting instead the following: (a) All prisoners shall be bailable by sufficient sureties unless for the following when the proof is evident or the presumption great:
(1) A capital offense; (2) An act of terrorism; (3) Second degree murder; (4) Aggravated rape of a child; (5) Aggravated rape; (6) Grave torture; and (7) Any other offense for which, as of November 3, 2026, a defendant, if convicted, could not be released prior to the expiration of at least eighty-five percent of the entire sentence imposed.
(b) In any case in which bail for an offense listed in subsection (a) is granted or denied before conviction, the judge or magistrate shall place in the record the judge's or magistrate's reasons for granting or denying bail.
(c) The privilege of the writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in case of rebellion or invasion, the General Assembly shall declare the public safety requires it.
From sos.tn.gov. Checked 2026-10-20. Confirm with your official ballot (sample-ballot lookup).
Tennessee publishes no official arguments for or against. The Secretary of State's page gives only the Attorney General's summary and the ballot question.
Who’s behind it
Party positions: Tennessee Democratic Party: No position published · Tennessee Republican Party: YES · Libertarian Party of Tennessee: Vote No
Committees registered to support or oppose Constitutional Amendment #1, and what they reported to Tennessee Registry of Election Finance (TREF) - Registered Referendum Committees (single-measure committees) page and the filed PDFs linked from it. Checked 2026-10-21.
Before comparing the sides: each committee’s figures come from its own latest report, so they can cover different dates. Some committees work on more than one measure or other campaigns, and their totals include all of it. A side with no registered committee can still have supporters. How much a side raised says nothing about whether the measure is a good idea.
Opposing
No registered committee opposing Constitutional Amendment #1 found as of 2026-10-21.
A rhetorical technique is about wording, not about whether a measure is a good idea or an argument is true. Ballot wording is written under each state’s own rules, and official arguments by the people the state names. All Tennessee measures →