What is the process for amending the US Constitution?

Amending the US Constitution is a long and complex process that involves both Congress and the states. First, an amendment must pass both the House of Representatives and the Senate with two-thirds majorities. If the amendment passes both chambers, it is then sent to the states for ratification. In order to get an amendment to the Constitution ratified, three-fourths of the states must approve the measure. This means that at least 38 states must approve the amendment in order for it to become part of the Constitution. Sometimes, Congress will use a different approach to ratify an amendment. This approach is called the "convention of the states" or "constitutional convention." Under this method, state legislatures can call a convention and propose amendments that would then need to be ratified by 3/4 of the states in order to be added to the Constitution. It is important to note that the process for amending the US Constitution is difficult by design. This is done to make sure that any changes to the Constitution are taken seriously and not hastily made. As a result, very few amendments have been made to the US Constitution since it was created in 1787.

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