Go out and get 35 of the 50 states to agree with the future amendment
The constititutional amendment process is started by state legislatures acting as a constitutional convention. The Legislature calls for a convention of delegates (assemblymen, and senators) and proposes an amendment while in session.
There are two ways to propose and ratify amendments to the Constitution. To propose amendments two thirds of both houses of congress can vote to propose an amendment, and two thirds of the state legislatures can ask congress to call a national convention to propose amendments.
According to Article V of the US Constitution.. To propose an Amendment to the Constitution one of the following must occur: 1) 2/3 of Both Houses of Congress must vote to Propose an Amendment OR 2) 2/3 of the State Legislatures shall ask a congress to call a nation convention to propose amendments. However this has never been done. After the Amendment is Proposed by Congress, it must be ratified by 3/4 of the State Legislatures.
To propose an amendment: 1. Two-thirds of both houses of Congress vote to propose an amendment, or 2. Two-thirds of the state legislatures ask Congress to call a national convention to propose amendments.
Three-fourths of state legislatures must approve an amendment proposed by Congress to the United States Constitution. An alternate method of ratification is for three-fourths of states must vote in favor of the amendment during a ratifying convention. This alternate method has only been used one time, for the ratification of the Twenty-First Amendment which repealed Prohibition.
The two groups that have the power to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution are: The U.S. Congress The StatesThe U.S. Congress has the power to propose an amendment when two-thirds of both the Senate and the House of Representatives vote in favor of the amendment. The States also have the power to propose an amendment if two-thirds of the state legislatures vote in favor of the amendment. In either case any amendments proposed have to be ratified by three-fourths of the states in order to become part of the Constitution.
Conventions, Not State LegislaturesThe Federalists proposed that the Constitution should be ratified by popularly elected conventions rather than by the state legislatures.
The number of senators per state is a provision of the US constitution and it therefore can only be changed by a constitutional amendment. Congress would be able to propose such an amendment, if it wished to do so, but the amendment would have to be ratified by the state legislatures before it would become part of the constitution.
There are two ways to propose and ratify amendments to the Constitution. To propose amendments two thirds of both houses of congress can vote to propose an amendment, and two thirds of the state legislatures can ask congress to call a national convention to propose amendments.
Passage of the proposed amendment by 3/5 of the state's legislatures.
Go out and get 35 of the 50 states to agree with the future amendment
The 17th Amendment took the voice of the states away by allowing Senators to be elected by popular vote instead f by the state Legislatures.
The 17th Amendment of the Constitution established direct election of United States Senators by popular vote. Prior to this amendment Senators were elected by state legislatures.