Article XV describes the Amendment Process. An amendment may be proposed in either house of the General Assembly: the Senate or the House of Delegates. It is then voted upon for approval or disapproval. If a majority of the members of each house vote in favor of the proposed amendment, the amendment is then referred to the General Assembly at its first regular session held after the next general election of members of the House of Delegates. The amendment must then be published for three months previous to election time. Whenever a majority of all the members in each house vote in favor of the amendment either in a regular session or in an extra session, the amendment must then be submitted for approval by the people. If a majority of the qualified voters approve the amendment at this time, the amendment becomes effective. Article XV also includes the procedure necessary for calling a constitutional convention in Virginia. Whenever a majority of the members of each house of the General Assembly vote for a convention to revise or amend the Constitution, the question of calling such a constitutional convention must be submitted to the qualified voters. If a majority of the voters favor such a convention for the specific purpose included in the original question submitted to the voters, the General Assembly at its next session must provide for the election of delegates to the special convention. The qualified voters elect the specific delegates to such constitutional convention. Article XVI concerns rules of construction within the constitution itself pertaining to word usage. Article XVII, already described in this chapter under Article II, provides for poll tax exemption for members of the armed forces on active duty. The original Virginia Constitution of 1776 consisted of 3,000 words. In 1830, the number of words was doubled with numerous revisions. In 1870, the number of words was increased six times the number in the original constitution. The present Constitution which was written in 1902 contains approximately 35,000 words. Consequently, as living becomes more complex, the constitution has become more lengthy. _State Symbolism_ Certain symbols and emblems are approved by various state legislatures which indicate a particular idea or belief which is soon recognized or identified with a specific state. The official symbols of the Commonwealth are the State Seals, the State Motto, the State Flag, the State Flower, the State Song and the State Bird.