Dear Friends of Kairos Christian Alliance,
As Christians called to be informed citizens and faithful stewards of the public square, we have both a responsibility and a privilege to engage thoughtfully with the laws that govern us. This November, Tennessee voters will decide three proposed amendments to our state constitution. Because constitutional amendments permanently alter the highest law of our state and cannot be undone by ordinary legislation, it is essential that we understand both the process and the substance of what is before us.
Kairos Christian Alliance supports all three amendments and encourages you to vote yes alongside us.
How Constitutional Amendments Are Passed in Tennessee
Our founders intentionally made amending the Tennessee Constitution difficult. This deliberate process protects the document from hasty or temporary changes driven by fleeting political winds.
A proposed amendment must first receive the approval of a majority of all members elected to each house of the General Assembly. It is then referred to the next General Assembly, where it must receive approval from two-thirds of all members of each house. Only after clearing these legislative hurdles is the proposal submitted to the voters at the next gubernatorial election.
For the amendment to pass, it must receive a majority of the votes cast on the amendment itself and more than one-half of the total number of votes cast for governor in that same election. This dual threshold ensures that amendments enjoy both focused support and broader electoral legitimacy.
All three amendments on this year’s ballot have already completed the required legislative process. The final decision now rests with us.
Amendment 1: Expanding Judicial Authority to Deny Bail
Currently, Article I, Section 15 of the Tennessee Constitution guarantees that all prisoners shall be bailable by sufficient sureties, unless for capital offences, when the proof is evident or the presumption great. In practice, this means bail may be denied only for capital offenses (such as first-degree murder and aggravated rape of a child) when the evidence meets that high standard.
Amendment 1 (SJR 25) would expand the list of offenses for which a judge or magistrate may deny bail before trial when the proof is evident or the presumption great. The expanded list includes capital offenses, acts of terrorism, second-degree murder, aggravated rape of a child, aggravated rape, grave torture, and any other offense for which, as of November 3, 2026, a convicted defendant could not be released before serving at least 85 percent of the imposed sentence.
The 85-percent category is not a fixed list written into the constitution. It will shift as future legislatures change sentencing laws. According to current guidance from the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference, it includes offenses such as aggravated arson, vehicular homicide, and certain controlled-substance crimes.
The amendment also requires judges to place on the record their reasons for granting or denying bail in these cases. The right to habeas corpus remains fully intact.
This change gives judges needed discretion to protect the public from defendants charged with serious violent crimes who might reoffend while free on bail. It does not require judges to deny bail. It simply allows them to do so in the most serious cases when the evidence warrants it. We support this amendment as a common-sense step for public safety.
Amendment 2: Prohibiting a State Property Tax
Amendment 2 (SJR 1) would prohibit the state of Tennessee from levying a property tax. While Tennessee has not imposed a statewide property tax since 1949, nothing in the current constitution prevents a future legislature from reinstating one. This amendment would permanently close that door, leaving property taxation exclusively to local governments.
By constitutionally banning a state-level property tax, the amendment reinforces private property rights and prevents the state from using property taxation as a revenue tool that could burden homeowners, farmers, and businesses. Local counties and municipalities would remain free to levy their own property taxes. We support this amendment as an important protection for property owners and a check on future state overreach.
Amendment 3: Expanding Victims’ Rights (Marsy’s Law)
Amendment 3 would replace the current victims’ rights provision in Article I, Section 35 with a more detailed set of protections modeled on Marsy’s Law. The measure is named after Marsy Ann Nicholas, a 21-year-old California woman murdered by an ex-boyfriend in 1983. A week after her funeral, her mother unexpectedly encountered the killer in a grocery store because the family had not been notified of his release.
Tennessee already provides many protections for crime victims, including the rights to confer with the prosecution, be present at proceedings, be free from intimidation, receive notice of release or escape, and obtain restitution. The proposed amendment would expand and strengthen these rights. Among other things, it would guarantee victims the right to be treated with fairness, dignity, and respect for their safety, to be heard in proceedings involving release, plea, sentencing, and parole, to be informed of the minimum sentence and scheduled release date, to have their safety and the safety of the public considered before release decisions, and to participate more fully in juvenile delinquency proceedings.
If approved, the General Assembly would still define key terms such as victim and the specific crimes covered. Marsy’s Law has already been adopted as a constitutional framework in twelve other states. We support this amendment because victims deserve clear, enforceable constitutional protections throughout the justice system.
A Call to Informed Stewardship
Constitutional amendments are not ordinary legislation. They establish lasting rules that govern how our state operates and protect the rights of the people. The process is intentionally slow so that we, as a moral people, will carefully weigh whether each change truly serves justice, liberty, and the common good.
Kairos Christian Alliance supports all three of these amendments. We encourage you to study the measures, discuss them with your family and church community, and then vote yes alongside us this November.
At Kairos Christian Alliance, our mission is to educate and equip Christians to engage in grassroots activism, be informed citizens, and become godly leaders. Thank you for standing with us in promoting righteousness in the public square.
In Christ,
Kairos Christian Alliance
Promoting righteousness in the public square