An amendment may be proposed by a two-thirds vote of both Houses of Congress, or, if two-thirds of the States request one, by a convention called for that purpose. The amendment must then be ratified by three-fourths of the State legislatures, or three-fourths of conventions called in each State for ratification.

What are the 2 ways amendments can be approved?

Amendments may be proposed either by the Congress, through a joint resolution passed by a two-thirds vote, or by a convention called by Congress in response to applications from two-thirds of the state legislatures.

What is the most common way of approving an amendment?

Ratification by three-fourths of the states.



Ratification of the amendment language adopted by Congress is an up-or-down vote in each legislative chamber.

Why is it so difficult to get an amendment approved?





The US constitution is difficult to amend due to its two stage process. The Founding Fathers purposely made amending the constitution a difficult process. For example they incorporated the need to gain a supermajority in both the proposal and ratification stages of amending the constitution.

What are the 4 ways the Constitution can be amended?

Four Methods of Amending the U.S. Constitution

  • A two-thirds vote in both houses of the U.S. Congress. Ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures.
  • A two-thirds vote in both houses of U.S. Congress.
  • A national constitutional convention called by two-thirds of the state legislatures.


What is the procedure for amendment?



An amendment of the Constitution can be initiated only by the introduction of a Bill in either House of Parliament. The Bill must then be passed in each House by a majority of the total membership of that House and by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members of that House present and voting.

What Are amendment process two main steps?

The Amendment Process



  • Step 1: Two-thirds of both the House of Representatives and the Senate propose and vote on a constitutional amendment.
  • Step 2: Three-fourths of the states ratify the proposed amendment, either by their legislatures or through special ratifying ‘conventions’.



What are the 3 methods of amendment?

There are three ways in which the Constitution can be amended:

  • Amendment by simple majority of the Parliament.
  • Amendment by special majority of the Parliament.
  • Amendment by special majority of the Parliament and the ratification of at least half of the state legislatures.


What are the 3 steps in the amendment process?



The Amendment Process

  1. Step 1: Proposal.
  2. Step 2: Ratify.
  3. Step 3: Repeal (if necessary)


What is the most common method used to ratify the Constitution?

To be ratified, three-fourths of the state legislatures must approve the proposed amendment. This is the method used in almost all of our current amendments.

Do amendments require presidential approval?

The Congress proposes an amendment in the form of a joint resolution. Since the President does not have a constitutional role in the amendment process, the joint resolution does not go to the White House for signature or approval.

How long does it take for an amendment to be approved?



As a reminder, amended returns take up to 16 weeks to process.

Is making an amendment an easy process?

The amendment process is very difficult and time consuming: A proposed amendment must be passed by two-thirds of both houses of Congress, then ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states.

How many steps does it take to pass an amendment?

Congress must pass a proposed amendment by a two-thirds majority vote in both the Senate and the House of Representatives and send it to the states for ratification by a vote of the state legislatures.

Why is the amendment process effective?

Another advantage of the amendment process is that, despite being an arduous process, it does still allow for change. There have been 27 amendments since the constitution was written showing that it is possible to make changes using said process.

What is the amendment process difficult?

Second, compared to other ways of changing laws, it is very difficult to amend the Constitution. For an amendment to be approved, two-thirds of both houses of Congress must pass the amendment. (An amendment can also pass with a two-thirds vote at a national convention, but this has never happened before).

Is it difficult or easy to add an amendment to the Constitution?



The U.S. Constitution is famously difficult to amend: It takes a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate, then ratification by three-quarters of the states.

What is an amendment easy?

An amendment is a change or addition to the terms of a contract or document. An amendment is often an addition or correction that leaves the original document substantially intact.