Amendment Two Could Impact English-only

The second charter amendment on tomorrow’s special election ballot in Nashville could impact Amendment One — the English-only proposal.

Amendment Two deals with the way Nashville changes its charter. It requires petition drives to collect signatures from just one percent of registered voters and gets rid of the limit on how many times voters can amend the charter. But the final line of the referendum on the ballot says the Metro Council cannot amend any charter revision approved by voters for four years.

Election law attorney George Barrett says if both pass, Amendment Two would impact the English-only proposal — Amendment One. And that could restrict the Metro Council from making exemptions for health and safety, but not entirely.

“If you read the last section of the second amendment, it’s limited only to council induced resolutions, rather than one by petition.”

Barrett says any revisions would have to come from voters themselves.

Attorney Jim Roberts proposed Amendment Two and agrees it would impact English-only, but not the health and safety exemptions it allows Council members to make.

“It would prevent them from amending it or repealing it. I don’t mean to suggest that somehow it would prevent them from making exceptions for health and welfare.”

The Metro Department of Law has not issued a formal opinion on the matter.