amendment process Flashcards
What article outlines the process by which the constitution can be amended?
Article V
What is require at two stage process of amendments?
supermajority
what does a supermajority ensure about the constitution?
that its not too rigid nor too flexible
what are the two stages that an amendment must go through?
proposal an ratification
How can an amendment be proposed ?
- proposed amendment passes the house of rep and senate with a 2/3 majority in both
- a national constitutional convention by two thirds of state legislatures
How can an amendment be ratified?
- by a simple majority in three quarters of state legislatures
- by a state ratifying convention in three quarters
most common amendment route
passed by both houses of congress and ratified by state legislatures.
no amendment has been proposed by national constitutional convention
what is the success rate of amendments?
out of 11,000 proposed amendments only 27 have passed through the process.
example of an amendment failing
Balanced budget amendment
between 1999 and 2018 was proposed 134 times
how has supermajorities led to very few amendments?
at both stage you need either a two third or three quarter majority
today house of rep has 435 members needing 287 of them to vote together
the senate has 100 members needing 67 of them
very difficult to achieve the consensus and compromise - two party politics
38 of 50 states need to agree
how has the growth of the USA prevented amendments
has expanded geographically. 50 states now , 13 states in 1789. only 9 of 13 states had to agree.
population of 3.5 million in 1789 to 320 million today
cultural expansion where states vary widely in beliefs.
