ABSTRACT

The provision has never been used. Between 1975 and 1983, 32 states adopted such petitions — two short of the number needed to force Congress to act. Each side also has a favorite anecdote from 20th-century constitutional history that supports its view of the wisdom of petitioning for a new convention. From 1787 to 1913 United States senators were chosen by their state legislatures. This vestige of the framers’ anti-democratic tendencies was out of step with the populist and progressive eras early in the 20th century. A constitutional amendment for the direct election of senators gained steam. In 1964, the Supreme Court decided the Constitution required that all state legislative districts be apportioned on the principle of “one man-one vote.” The whole system would be “up for grabs,” Citizens to Protect the Constitution brochures say. The only constitutional convention we’ve had, the one in 1787, was supposed to recommend a few amendments to the Articles of Confederation.