State ratifying conventions facts for kids

State ratifying conventions are special meetings held in the United States. They are one of two ways to approve changes, called amendments, to the U.S. Constitution. These meetings are quite rare.

They have only been used once in history. This happened in 1933 to approve the 21st Amendment. This amendment ended the ban on alcohol, which was known as Prohibition. All other changes to the Constitution have been approved by state legislatures instead.

What Are State Ratifying Conventions?

State ratifying conventions are special gatherings. They are set up by each state to decide on new amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution itself, in something called Article Five, explains how these conventions can be used.

These conventions are different from a state's regular law-making body, which is called the state legislature. Usually, when a new amendment is proposed, it goes to the state legislatures for approval. But the Constitution also allows for these special conventions to be called instead.

Why Are They Used?

The main reason for state ratifying conventions is to approve proposed changes to the Constitution. When a new amendment is suggested, it needs to be approved by a certain number of states. This approval is called ratification.

The people who wrote the Constitution wanted to make sure there were different ways to approve amendments. This gives states flexibility in how they decide on important changes. It also means that sometimes, a big decision can be made directly by people chosen for that specific purpose, rather than by regular lawmakers.

How Do They Work?

For a state ratifying convention to be called, a proposed amendment must first be sent to the states. Then, each state decides if it wants to hold a special convention or let its legislature vote.

If a state decides to use a convention, people in that state would elect delegates. These delegates are chosen specifically to attend the convention and vote on the proposed amendment. If enough states (three-fourths of all states) approve the amendment, it becomes part of the Constitution.

Proposing Amendments

The Constitution also says that state ratifying conventions can be used to suggest new amendments. This is another way to start the process of changing the Constitution. However, this method has never been used. All 27 amendments to the Constitution have been proposed by the U.S. Congress.

To call a convention for proposing an amendment, two-thirds of the state legislatures must vote to do so. This means a lot of states would need to agree that a new amendment is needed before such a convention could even begin.

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  The U.S. constitutional amendment process