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Our call — vote YES
The measure
Amendment 3 is a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on Tennessee's November 3, 2026 ballot — a version of Marsy's Law. It would replace the victims' rights list in Article I, Section 35 with an expanded set of thirteen rights, including: treatment with fairness, safety, and dignity; notice of proceedings; presence at proceedings; being heard on release, plea, sentencing, disposition, and parole; participation in parole with notice; freedom from harassment, intimidation, and abuse, with reasonable protection; notice of release, transfer, or escape; full and timely restitution; speedy disposition of charges; being informed of the minimum sentence and scheduled release date; having the safety of the victim, the victim's family, and the public considered before parole or release; conferring with the prosecution; and being informed of these rights. The amendment expressly preserves defendants' due process rights, creates no basis to vacate a conviction, does not restrict prosecutors or courts, and creates no damages claim except as otherwise provided.
What YES does
A yes vote constitutionalizes a fuller, enforceable set of rights for crime victims, with defendants' due process expressly untouched.
What NO does
A no vote keeps the existing, shorter victims' rights provision.
The math
No fiscal note for this measure was published on its Ballotpedia page.
OUR CALL
Our call: YES.
For too long the system has known the defendant's rights by heart and treated the victim as a witness to someone else's case. Notice before a release, a voice at parole, restitution that is full and timely, protection from intimidation — these are not favors; they are what justice owes the person the crime was committed against. The text is carefully drawn: it expands victims' standing without subtracting one due process protection from the accused. Vote yes.
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Sources
- Ballotpedia — Tennessee Amendment 3 measure page (accessed October 25, 2026)
- Ballotpedia — 2026 ballot measures — https://ballotpedia.org/2026_ballot_measures
Result pending. No verified call (Associated Press or official) as of November 4, 2026. This page will be updated when the race is called or certified. The original article above is unchanged.
AI-assisted article — but the sources are human, and the facts are very real.