in the case of constitutional amendments, this gets even more complex. Technically states have the ability to force a constitutional convention hearing in the case of a legislative branch either not bringing to the floor or denying an amendment that has clear popularity in the states.
The issue with this is that it requires a 2/3 vote of the states in agreement, and that it also requires a system that only has the bare minimums defined legally on it. It doesn’t define what a convention is, or even how many people in the state have to agree. It’s fully left on the states to decide it on an individual basis how that system would work for them.
How it would work is
current legislative refuses to hear a popular amendment
at least 2/3 of the states organize some sort of system that can act as a commitee somehow representing the overall choice of the states citizens
upon 2/3 of the states agreeing, a convention is forced potentially excluding the legislative branch as a whole
the bill that gets created at said convention is then put up to the 3/4 state vote required to ratify it.
That process is more dangerous because it’s less constrictive. Going through the legislative branch limits it to one amendment and is a drawn out public process. At a constitutional convention the representatives can debate and pass anything they want to with the required 3/4 vote without public notice or input. I don’t trust our current political system not to add corporate written amendments to the constitution if they have the chance to do so without public review.
in the case of constitutional amendments, this gets even more complex. Technically states have the ability to force a constitutional convention hearing in the case of a legislative branch either not bringing to the floor or denying an amendment that has clear popularity in the states.
The issue with this is that it requires a 2/3 vote of the states in agreement, and that it also requires a system that only has the bare minimums defined legally on it. It doesn’t define what a convention is, or even how many people in the state have to agree. It’s fully left on the states to decide it on an individual basis how that system would work for them.
How it would work is
That process is more dangerous because it’s less constrictive. Going through the legislative branch limits it to one amendment and is a drawn out public process. At a constitutional convention the representatives can debate and pass anything they want to with the required 3/4 vote without public notice or input. I don’t trust our current political system not to add corporate written amendments to the constitution if they have the chance to do so without public review.
Fully agreed its dangerous