There are two ways to change the Constitution. Most Americans do not fully understand either one.
This is a problem: Common citizens want change - desperately want things to improve - but do not know how to create it.
In contrast, there are a growing number of well-funded, organized professionals who know the law, the loopholes, and how to get what they want.
They are better prepared to win Constitutional change.
Too many American citizens are not.
Consider the best athletes - superstars and the crucial role players - who enable teams to win championships. They enjoy the greatest freedoms and success because first, they play smart; and second, they work hard.
They know the game, the opposition, their responsibilities. They study, train, get mentored, and constantly seek to be their best based on the facts - not emotion.
American citizens who want to protect their rights must follow this example. Not to be a superstar, but to be a solid role player - a good steward responsible for maintaining our rights.
A free people who do not understand the process of maintaining their republic and guiding any changes cannot protect themselves from tyranny.
Here is how our Constitution can change - a quick summary. It takes four minutes to learn and it will serve you for the rest of your life.
Step one: Propose
An amendment has to be proposed before it can be anything at all. There are only two paths:
#1 - Congress
Two-thirds of the House and two-thirds of the Senate vote to propose an amendment.
This is the route every one of our 27 amendments has taken. All of them. Without exception.
#2 - Our States
Two-thirds of the state legislatures - 34 of 50 - apply for a convention to propose amendments.
If 34 apply, Article V says Congress shall call one. The approval of Congress is not required. This path has never been used in our nation’s history.
Step two: Ratify
This is the step almost everyone misses, and it is the one that decides everything.
Nothing changes until three-fourths of the states - 38 of 50 - ratify the proposed amendment. That is true no matter which path proposed it. A convention does not change the Constitution. Congress does not change the Constitution. Only 38 states do.
Congress decides how the states ratify: Through their legislatures, or through special ratifying conventions called for that purpose. Only one amendment has ever been ratified by state conventions - the 21st, which repealed Prohibition.
Why 34 is not the number that matters
You will hear that some movement is “20 of 34” or “28 of 34” or some other fraction of the way there. Understand exactly what that means, because it is easy to misread in both directions.
34 states applying triggers a convention. It amends nothing. A convention proposes; it does not ratify.
38 states ratifying is what changes the Constitution.
Anyone who tells you 34 states will rewrite the Constitution is mistaken. And anyone who tells you a convention is harmless because ratification still needs 38 is missing the point - because a convention changes what is on the table, and a people unprepared for that debate is a people at risk of losing their rights.
One more thing: Nobody agrees on the count
Counting applications is not arithmetic. It is interpretation.
States have filed Article V applications for many different purposes across many decades - a balanced budget, term limits, and others. Congress has never established a binding method for tabulating them.
Whether applications on different subjects, filed in different eras, can be added together toward the same 34 is legally unsettled.
That is why you will see different tallies from sincere people. The Convention of States effort - which would limit its convention to fiscal restraints, limits on federal power and jurisdiction, and term limits for federal officials - stands at 20 of the 34 required (as of July 2026). Other counts, aggregating differently, run higher.
We are not telling you which count is right. We are explaining the number of states said to have applied is contested - and that anyone who gives you a number without that caveat has not done the work.
Why this matters now
Constitutional moments are won long before the debate formally begins.
By the time an amendment is on the floor:
The arguments have already been made;
The coalitions already built; and
The public has already decided what it thinks.
The people who prepared are the people who win.
Therefore, if common citizens - those most impacted by Constitutional change - show up at the last minute with strong feelings and no facts, or irresponsibly don’t pay attention to the process, then the common good loses.
Rather than give up your freedom, wouldn’t you rather be ready and civilly participate in the debate and contribute to the results?
If so, join us. We can do this.
Go deeper
The wisdom of our Constitution is powerful - arguably the most humane, balanced, and citizen-first structure of government ever devised. It has endured for more than two centuries. But our freedoms only survive when our Constitution is enforced.
We encourage you to better understand the Constitution - what it says, why it says it, and how it has been read and re-read over two centuries.
Here is an easy path: Listen to these free courses while at the gym, walking, driving - time you do have available no matter how busy you are. And complete the quizzes for each lesson when you’re not driving - when it’s safe to do so.
Even better - watch the courses with family and friends. Discuss what you learn.
Constitution 101: The Meaning and History of the Constitution - https://online.hillsdale.edu/courses/constitution-101
Constitution 201 - https://online.hillsdale.edu/courses/promo/constitution-201
The Presidency and the Constitution - https://online.hillsdale.edu/courses/promo/the-presidency-and-the-constitution
Public Policy from a Constitutional Viewpoint - https://online.hillsdale.edu/courses/promo/public-policy
NOTE: These free courses come from Hillsdale College, which is conservative. We recommend them for one reason: We have taken them, and they are overflowing with facts. If you know a course that offers similar value, please email us. We will consider it.
SOURCE: U.S. Constitution, Article V. Amendment counts and ratification history from the National Archives. Convention of States application count as of July 2026.