Addressing Race and Governance in State Constitutions
About this dataset:
The U.S. Constitution defines the foundation of American civil rights, particularly as it pertains to being free from racial discrimination. State constitutions have the power to expand upon these basic rights, providing additional protections not explicitly guaranteed in the federal constitution. At times, some state constitutions have permitted racial discrimination, such as by imposing poll taxes and other barriers to voting. However, as the federal government tries to roll back civil rights protections for racialized minority individuals, state constitutional protections are increasingly important as a source of civil rights. This dataset captures features of all 50 U.S. state constitutions related to race and governance from January 1, 2003, through December 31, 2023. This dataset also includes a federal record to compare the U.S. Constitution (and excludes the jurisdiction of the District of Columbia).