Today, being Constitution Day in the USA, we’ll start with a definition from Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary.
Constitution: noun con·sti·tu·tion ˌkän(t)-stə-ˈtü-shən
1 a: the basic principles and laws of a nation, state, or social group that determine the powers and duties of the government and guarantee certain rights to the people in it
b: a written instrument embodying the rules of a political or social organization
2 a: the physical makeup of the individual especially with respect to the health, strength, and appearance of the body (a hearty constitution)
b: the structure, composition, physical makeup, or nature of something (the constitution of society)
3: the mode in which a state or society is organized (especially : the manner in which sovereign power is distributed)
4: an established law or custom : ORDINANCE
5: the act of establishing, making, or setting up. (before the constitution of civil laws)
There‘s a lot in that definition. What’s important for a country and the people who live there is how the Constitution works.
Here‘s a short, recent history lesson about how a constitution can give a lot of power to one person, over many other people.
In 2022, Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian oligarch and leader of the private military corporation '“Wagner Group,” boasted about Russian interference in U.S. elections: “We have interfered, we are interfering and we will continue to interfere. Carefully, accurately, surgically and in our own way, as we know how to do.”
In 2023, Mr. Prigozhin died when the airplane he was in exploded. Mr. Prigozhin had not only interfered in elections in other countries, he challenged the leader of his own country. That country formed a new government in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and had a constitutional crisis in 1993, when the new Constitution of Russia put most of the power in the control of one person, the president. In governments that have most of the power with a single person, it is common to see dissidents and journalists arrested or “disappeared.”
Enough about that. Let‘s look at the USA. September 17th, 1787, is the day the USA ratified the Constitution.
What’s in the US Constitution?
The US Constitution is a sort of installation and operating manual, a guide for how to run the nation.
The Constitution of the United States has an introduction (a preamble), and 7 Articles.
Articles 1, 2, & 3 are the installation manual, or set-up guide for the 3 branches of government: Legislative (Congress), Executive (office of the President,) and Judicial (Federal court system).
Articles 4, 5, & 6 are the operating and repair manual: how States work with the Federal Government, how the Constitution is the top law of the land, and how the Amendment process works (for repairs and updates as needed).
Article 7 is Ratification. This is like a contract agreement with signatures. Each State sent representatives to argue for what was important for their own state and all the people of the country. When everyone agreed they could work with the guidelines, they signed the last page.
The Constitution explains about voting in Article 1, section 4. Each US State Legislature makes laws for their states, including about where and how to vote. The US Congress (people voted from each State to US House and Senate) can decide if a State has voting rules that are wrong. Congress can, by law change them.
Part of the job each member of US Congress and the state legislatures is to explain what new or changed laws are supposed to do. This helps people be informed voters.
Some Amendments to the Constitution are about voting laws, aimed toward making elections fair, so each US Citizen Voter has an equal chance by law to do this part of their civic duties.
Election Day for most elections is a Tuesday, between November 2nd and 8th. It is the last day to vote, and the day most votes get counted. If you are a Citizen 18 years of age or older, it is your civic duty to vote. Many states have early voting choices, and these can make it much easier for many people to vote, either by mail, drop-off, or in person. Early voting can make the lines shorter on Election Day for people who can only get that one day.
Check your Voter Registration! It’s hard to vote if your registration isn’t up to date. Check in to see if you have the correct location for voting, or how to vote by mail or early. Vote411.org is a good place to get started to find your voting location and check your registration. Local libraries and city offices are also helpful.