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Politics

It's Hard To Amend The U.S. Constitution For A Reason

The U.S. Constitution is difficult to change by design.

It's Hard To Amend The U.S. Constitution For A Reason
U.S. National Archives
By Simon Kaufman and Stephanie Liebergen
SMS
July 23, 2022

There are two ways to amend the U.S. Constitution, but only one has ever been used.

That route requires two-thirds of the House and the Senate to pass the text of the amendment and the timeframe states have to approve it. Then three quarters of the states — 38 of them — need to approve the amendment with a straightforward yes or no vote.

If that process sounds difficult, that's because it’s supposed to be.