That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness
US Declaration of Independence 1776
The long-term goal of WeAmend is to collect and prioritize a wide range of Constitutional Amendments. Then guide a subset of these proposals through the ratification process. Many suggestions will replicate Congressionally introduced legislation. Others will be sourced from partisan organizations, or directly from the public.
Today, most proposed amendments are ideological, and will be blocked by at least 1/4 of the states. Dead on arrival. But we envisage an alternative: redirecting amendment drafting from a political statement to an expression of compromise.
The Constitution itself is the child of compromise- it only passed after balancing the concerns of large and small states, slave owners and merchants, and written laws with inalienable personal rights.
Compromise abounds in the real world. A developer-dominated zoning board may never approve a new park- but if that park is traded against air-rights, both sides can achieve their goals at modest cost and compromise to their values. Similarly, one could balance your Electoral College reform for my Birthright Citizenship in a new voting rights amendment. Or eliminate 2nd amendment uncertainly by embracing a clear individual right to own a gun, against sensible restrictions on time and place.
An open, democratic debate will be moderated by WeAmend. A small set of potential amendments (by a process yet to be determined) will earn particular attention from the WeAmend community. Especially when crafting the exact language of the amendments.
To illustrate the potential range of amendments, five drafts (below) are offered as model prototypes. In all cases, there is room to make the wording more precise, or to anticipate ways the amendments could be circumvented or misunderstood. Here, the “wisdom of the crowd” will be our guide.
Remember, these are model amendments only. The actual structure and phrasing will emerge from debate and discussion within the community.
Draft Model Amendments:
- Revised 14th Amendment FT-24-02
- New Article V Amendment AA-22-01
- Supreme Court Amendment SC-20-08.2
- Electoral College Amendment EC-20-07
- Voting Rights Amendment VR-20-06
- Equal Rights Amendment ERA-18-01
- Equal Treatment Amendment ETA-19-07
- Balanced Budget Amendment BB-18-01
- Pardon Power Amendment PP-18-01
- Defense of Marriage Amendment DOM-18-01
- Campaign Finance Reform CF-20-01
Also contribute to a discussion on plugging holes and gaps in the Constitution. Plus help create a list of important issues facing the country that never seem to gain traction, except when they become a crisis.