the government's powers into judicial, legislative, and executive branches and granted the people (as opposed to the legislature) the ability to elect a governor. It also formally limited state debt, a predecessor of many contemporary "debt ceiling" clauses. The constitution was amended in 1875, mainly to conform to the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. Additionally, the state's amendments required that the legislature provide for a free public school system. Current constitution (1947) Preamble We, the people of the State of New Jersey, grateful to Almighty God for the civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing upon our endeavors to secure and transmit the same unimpaired to succeeding generations, do ordain and establish this Constitution. "Rights and Privileges" Article I, as is usual for constitutions, establishes the rights and freedoms inherent people and relevant operation of the government. The rights discussed in this Article largely mirror the Constitution of the United States. Such rights include freedom of speech, a speedy and public trial, and religious freedom. Article I also contains a Victims' Bill of Rights. The article is a de facto enumeration of the rights of the common man; Article I, Section I, Paragraph 21 deliberately states: This Article is similar to the U.S. Constitution's enumeration of rights. Similar to the U.S. Bill of Rights, the document also still has "holdover" rights, or rights left over from fear of Britain during the Revolutionary War. These passages still do guarantee important rights to New Jerseyans, but violations are not necessarily common. Such rights include: "Elections and Suffrage" Article II lays out dates for elections of the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, and members of the New Jersey Legislature. It establishes the qualifications necessary for voting and states the right of suffrage may be removed from certain convicted criminals. The process of absentee balloting is instituted, as well as the structure of voting by people currently in military service. The New Jersey Redistricting Commission is established, and the distribution of selection of its 13 members is discussed, who are to represent the "geographic, ethnic and racial diversity" of the state. The method of appointment of New Jersey Redistricting Commission members ensures the minority party which lost the general election prior to the census will have the upper hand in redistricting the state. Along with the other 12 appointed members, there is one