A constitutional convention is either a path to reform or a one-way street back to an era before civil liberties were anchored in everyday life.

The debate over whether the state should have such an information system essentially boils down to these two views, expressed before a bipartisan commission gathering information for a voter information guide ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

The Commissioners still have two meetings ahead of them, one Wednesday at 4 p.m. in the State Housebut his two party leaders already seem to know how they will vote in November.

Rep. Robert Craven, a Democrat from North Kingstown who co-chairs the committee, told the Rhode Island Current on Tuesday that he thinks many positive outcomes are possible if voters approve the ballot question to hold a convention. Craven, an attorney, said he is still considering how he will vote on the measure in November, but acknowledged that he disagrees with many of the arguments against holding a convention.

“Lawyers are very interested in this kind of thing,” he said. “A constitutional convention is really a study of the Constitution, which is the essence of American law.”

But Senator Dawn Euer, a Democrat from Newport and co-chair of the commission, said in an interview Tuesday that she opposed calling a meeting because well-funded interest groups could use the opportunity to try to influence which amendments are considered.

“When money goes into the election campaign, there is really the potential to create confusion,” Euer said.

The cost of holding the last Constitutional Convention in 1986 was $891,000—about $2.6 million today, adjusted for inflation. At the time, the convention’s costs included an allocation of over $250,000 from the General Assembly to educate the public about the proposed changes on the November ballot.

The commission expects to present an estimate of what the assembly might look like in 2026 at its meeting on Wednesday, Craven said.

The question about the convention is usually put to the ballot in years ending with the number four. Rhode Island voters rejected ballot questions asking whether to hold a convention in 1994, 2004 and 2014.

A coalition of 37 labor and civil rights organizations has launched a campaign urging voters to reject the once-in-a-decade ballot question on the grounds that it could add costs to party conventions and harm civil liberties.

Members of Rhode Island Citizens for Responsible Government have repeatedly argued that holding a party convention opens a Pandora’s box that could undo many of the state’s progressive policies and protections.

“I’m not sure I agree with that,” Craven said. “It was 1986, and that was an example of a packed convention.”

At the 1986 convention, delegates created the Rhode Island Ethics Commission, restored the right to vote to felons, and clarified Rhode Islanders’ rights regarding the shoreline, all of which were approved by voters that same year.

However, a fundamental Right to Life Amendment to the Constitution was also proposed, stating that life begins at conception. This amendment was overwhelmingly rejected by voters.

The organization Rhode Island Citizens for Responsible Government has made the risk of reinstating an anti-abortion amendment a major argument against holding another convention.

Opponents of the Constitutional Convention increase their campaign spending

And in the post-Citizens United world, where there is unlimited outside campaign spending, Eure said it is always possible for groups to distort the messaging on certain constitutional election issues. She cited two Republican-backed ballot measures passed in their home state of Wisconsin earlier this year which limit the use of private funds and consultants to assist in election administration.

Conservative groups such as the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty have argues that existing rules allow private donors to “explicitly fund only left-leaning or right-leaning areas without any claim to objectivity” by giving grants to cities and none at all to smaller cities. The amendment to Wisconsin’s constitution, the group said, would make elections more secure.

“Who could dispute that on the face of it?” said Euer. “But the end result means there is less money available to run the election, which potentially means a bad experience for voters – and that undermines trust.”

Euer also cited potential problems related to the length and cost of a meeting in her opposition to Rhode Island’s ballot bill. The commission expects more details on that when it meets Wednesday at the State House for the fifth of six required sessions.

Commissioners are also expected to discuss Wednesday what they want to include in their report for the voter handbook that will be sent to all registered voters before the Nov. 5 election. The report could also include a final recommendation from the 12-member panel itself.

“Our mandate doesn’t require that — it usually says we don’t do that,” Craven said. “But it has happened in the past.”

The Commission must complete the report by 1 September.