The authority to amend the Constitution of the United States is derived from Article V of the Constitution. The Constitution provides that an amendment may be proposed either by the Congress with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, or the amendment can be proposed by a convention of the states called by 34 state legislatures.

After it is proposed, any amendment must be ratified by 38 states.

History has shown that when numerous state legislatures apply for an amendment proposing convention on a specific topic, Congress has always preemptively proposed the needed amendment itself. Congress is clearly averse to ceding its authority to draft and propose an amendment, so state petitions for an amendment convention have been the best way to pressure Congress to propose an amendment.

That is why we support the We the People Act in the Massachusetts legislature. By passing it, the Massachusetts legislature would join 5 other states in applying for an amendment convention to propose the specific amendment we need. If more states follow our lead, then Congress will be propelled to act.

It is also important to put pressure directly on Members of Congress to support the specific amendment that will be strong and effective at addressing the crisis of our democracy. Support the We the People Amendment!

But first and foremost, we need to build the citizen movement with the passion, size and strength to push this U.S. Constitutional amendment to victory! Click here to volunteer or learn more!