The primary role of Congress in the formal process of amending the Constitution is to propose amendments. This can be done in one of two ways:
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Two-thirds vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate: Congress can propose an amendment if at least two-thirds of both chambers vote in favor of it.
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Constitutional Convention: Alternatively, Congress can call a constitutional convention for the purpose of proposing amendments if two-thirds of the state legislatures request it. However, this method has never been used.
Once an amendment is proposed, it must then be ratified by three-fourths (38 out of 50) of the state legislatures or by conventions in three-fourths of the states to become part of the Constitution. Thus, Congress plays a crucial role in the initial stage of the amendment process.