Constitutional rights will not be undermined in Colorado

Denver, CO — On Sunday, State lawmakers gathered in Denver to discuss a possible Article V Constitutional Convention at the Academy of States 3.0, a bootcamp preparing state lawmakers for what they deem is an “imminent Article V Convention.” 

Under Article V of the U.S. Constitution, a convention can be called when two-thirds of the states (34) petition for a convention to enact amendments to the constitution. It is widely understood by scholars that nothing is off the table – once called, a convention will be able to consider any amendments to the constitution that the delegates want to consider. Additionally, there are no guidelines or rules to govern such a convention, making it a dangerous threat to the U.S. Constitution, our democracy, and our civil rights and liberties.

Statement from Cameron Hill, Associate Director of Colorado Common Cause

An Article V Convention is a dangerous threat to all of us. A convention like this is too risky, with no guardrails to protect us from massive changes to our constitutional rights. This convention would make it too easy for special interests and big money to steamroll over the will of the people – everything from our right to vote to our right to free speech could be up for grabs. 

We cannot trust this risky, untested system where wealthy special interests can easily game the system against the American people.

That’s why a bid for an Article V Convention was soundly defeated in Colorado last year.

 We continue our work to safeguard Americans from the threat of a convention and oppose any and all calls for an Article V Convention to take away our rights. 

Last year, Colorado Common Cause and a diverse coalition of non-partisan, non-profit labor, democracy, and community groups worked to pass HJR21-1006, which rescinded all of Colorado’s previous calls for an Article V Convention. In 2022, Colorado Common Cause testified against HJR22-1021, a resolution to reintroduce an Article V call from Colorado. Colorado once again came together to formally reject a call for this dangerous convention. 

An Article V convention is not reflective of what voters want. This convention has never been called before in American history, and Colorado Common Cause has done its part to ensure that it will remain this way. The possibility of a convention has already died in our state once this year, and with previous petitions retracted, this tactic to circumvent democracy and the people’s will has no path forward in Colorado.