On 14 July 2018, a Cuban Communist Party task force drafted a new constitutional text, then given to a National Assembly commission headed by Party First Secretary Raúl Castro to assess, refine, and forward the new draft constitution to the National Assembly plenary. The reforms were seen as part of the attempt to modernize the Cuban government. The draft contained 87 new articles, increasing the total from 137 to 229. Among the reforms were the following:

Defining marriage as "a social and legal institution" and "one form of family organization" (formerly included legalization of same-sex marriage).
Banning discrimination based on gender, race, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.