The U.S. Constitution can be amended through a process outlined in Article V, which involves two main steps: proposing an amendment and ratifying it. Proposing an Amendment:
- An amendment can be proposed either by:
- A two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate (Congressional proposal method), or
- A constitutional convention called by Congress upon request of two-thirds of the state legislatures (34 states currently). This method has never been used
Ratifying an Amendment:
- After proposal, the amendment must be ratified by:
- The legislatures of three-fourths (currently 38) of the states, or
- Ratifying conventions in three-fourths of the states (used only once for the 21st Amendment)
The President has no formal role in the amendment process, and proposed amendments do not require presidential approval
. This process is deliberately challenging to ensure stability in the Constitution, requiring broad consensus at both the federal and state levels
. In summary, the Constitution can be amended by either Congress proposing an amendment with a two-thirds vote in both houses followed by ratification by three-fourths of the states, or by a constitutional convention called by two- thirds of state legislatures, followed by the same ratification process
