The Push For a Constitutional Convention Begins
- Constitution Coalition
- Jan 31
- 2 min read
Our work begins. The first two bills calling for an Article V constitutional convention dropped this week. We expect another in the coming days.
A House committee has introduced House Concurrent Resolution 23, which essentially calls on Congress to organize a convention of states to debate a constitutional amendment setting term limits for members of the U.S. House and Senate.
Days later, a second bill was introduced in the House. This one urges Congress to convene a constitutional convention to draft an amendment that would require the federal government to operate with a balanced budget.
Our opposition to both of these is not about the merits of term limits or a federal balanced budget. Instead, we object to the means by which supporters of these resolution want to achieve their federal policy goals. To be clear, holding a constitutional convention (ConCon) is the wrong way to go about it.
As a nation, as voters, we know how to amend the U.S. Constitution without threatening the sanctity of our Constitution as a whole. The Constitution has been amended numerous times. Each time, Congress drafted and passed the amendment before submitting it to the states for ratification. This worked to abolish slavery in 1865. In 1913, it was used to adopt the 17th amendment to provide for direct election of U.S. Senators, and again three years later when Americans approved the 19th amendment giving women the right to vote.
This isn’t rocket science. It’s a proven, systematic process for amending our nation’s founding document while protecting the rest of it.
The trouble with an Article V Convention of States is our nation has never used this method. There are no known and agreed upon ground rules for how a ConCon would operate, thus creating a risk that delegates with other interests or goals could tinker with the Constitution as we know it or inject amendments that don’t fit with Idaho values.
A ConCon with competing amendments and ideas is called a runaway convention, and it’s a real possibility in a world without any concrete guardrails and a nation deeply polarized in political views.
Is this a risk worth taking? We think not. And yet, Idaho legislators will yet again be debating whether to take that risk in the coming weeks.
If you’re concerned, even slightly, take some time to learn more. Our website provides ample information on the dangers of a ConCon and why we are fighting the idea. Send an email to your state Representative or Senator and urge them to resist the ConCon temptation.