National Report
Stopping An Article V Convention
Wealthy special interests are pushing for a constitutional convention that could put all of our rights up for grabs. Common Cause is fighting back.
Mega-donors, corporations, and radical far-right actors are pushing calls for an Article V Convention in states across the country to rewrite the U.S. Constitution for their own benefit. Frighteningly, they are just a few states away from succeeding.
Under Article V of the U.S. Constitution, Congress is required to hold a constitutional convention if two-thirds of state legislatures (34 states) call for one. But there is a catch: there are absolutely no rules for an Article V Convention outlined in the Constitution. That means the group of people convening to revise our country’s core legal document could be totally unelected and unaccountable. There is no way to limit the convention to a single issue, so the delegates could write amendments that revoke any of our most cherished rights—like our right to peaceful protest, our freedom of religion, or our right to privacy.
Right now, there are four major campaigns for an Article V Convention, and each has a different set of goals. But together, they have convinced 28 states to call for a convention. That means they have just six states to go—which is why we are stopping an Article V Convention by ramping up our efforts to reject and rescind calls in states nationwide.