What is the two-step process required to amend the U.S. Constitution?

What is the two-step process required to amend the U.S. Constitution?

• A. Congress and State Legislatures
• B. The President and the Supreme Court
• C. State Governors and Municipal Councils
• D. A national referendum and a state referendum

Answer: (A)

Amending the U.S. Constitution happens through a formal, two-stage process that involves the national and state levels. First, a proposed amendment must clear a broad vote in Congress, requiring two-thirds of both houses to approve it. Alternatively, there’s a separate path in which a national convention can be called if two-thirds of the state legislatures demand it, but that route has never been used. After proposal, the second stage takes place at the state level: three-fourths of the states must ratify the amendment, typically through their legislatures or, if Congress designates, through state conventions. The President and the Supreme Court don’t play a formal role in proposing or ratifying amendments, and nationwide referendums are not part of this constitutional process. This combination—proposal by Congress and ratification by state legislatures—is why the correct answer is the option involving Congress and state legislatures.

Amending the U.S. Constitution happens through a formal, two-stage process that involves the national and state levels. First, a proposed amendment must clear a broad vote in Congress, requiring two-thirds of both houses to approve it. Alternatively, there’s a separate path in which a national convention can be called if two-thirds of the state legislatures demand it, but that route has never been used. After proposal, the second stage takes place at the state level: three-fourths of the states must ratify the amendment, typically through their legislatures or, if Congress designates, through state conventions. The President and the Supreme Court don’t play a formal role in proposing or ratifying amendments, and nationwide referendums are not part of this constitutional process. This combination—proposal by Congress and ratification by state legislatures—is why the correct answer is the option involving Congress and state legislatures.