The Constitution can be amended in two ways. The first way is through a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. This process requires that a proposed amendment garner significant bipartisan support, reflecting a broad consensus among the elected representatives of the people. After passing both chambers, the amendment is then sent to the states for ratification, where it must be approved by three-fourths (38 out of 50) of the state legislatures or by conventions in three-fourths of the states, depending on the method chosen for ratification.
The second way is through a constitutional convention, which can be called by two-thirds of the state legislatures. This method is less commonly used and has never been invoked for amending the Constitution. Once a convention is convened, it can propose amendments that would then need to be ratified by three-fourths of the states, similarly to the first method. While this approach allows for a potentially broader range of amendments to be considered, it also carries risks, as there is no control over the scope of the amendments that could be proposed.
An example of why the Constitution would need to be amended is to address contemporary issues that were not foreseen during its drafting, such as the evolving landscape of voting rights. For instance, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 aimed to eliminate various discriminatory practices that disenfranchised voters, particularly African Americans. However, Supreme Court decisions in recent years, such as Shelby County v. Holder (2013), have rolled back protections established under the Act, highlighting ongoing challenges to equitable voting access. An amendment could explicitly guarantee voting rights for all citizens, ensuring that future generations are protected from discrimination based on race, gender, or socioeconomic status—addressing evolving societal norms and ensuring that democracy remains accessible to everyone.