1:1 – What Is Article V And What Does It Say?  

Article 5 of the Constitution is the part that defines how to make changes or amendments to the constitution.

It defines two methods.

First, amendments can be proposed by Congress. This requires a two thirds majority vote in the house and a two thirds majority vote in the Senate. Then those proposed amendments go out to the states for ratification.

The other method for originating amendments is the Article 5 convention. Article 5 says once 2/3 of the state legislatures have applied for a convention, Congress calls the convention for proposing amendments. Interestingly, the article 5 convention method has never been used.

Either way, once proposed, the amendments move on to ratification. There are also two methods there. Ratification can be done by the state legislatures, or Congress can select special ratification conventions held in each state. Either way, once ¾ of the states have ratified, proposed amendments become part of the Constitution.

Learn more about Article V and the amendment process by visiting JBS.org.