North Carolina lawmakers on Tuesday are expected to debate whether to officially call for a national convention to make changes to the U.S. Constitution.
Their efforts — if successful — could lead to changes in term limits for federal officials, including members of Congress and even the president. But supporters have a long way to go.
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The Constitution provides for two methods to amend it. The usual method is for Congress to approve an amendment which at least three-fifths of the states (38) must then ratify. The other method, spelled out in Article V of the Constitution, allows state legislatures to circumvent Congress to propose changes federal lawmakers might not support, like congressional term limits.
The second method requires two-thirds of the states (34) to call for such a convention and to agree on the issue or issues the convention is intended to address. So far, that’s never happened.
The country got relatively close on a balanced-budget-amendment Article V constitutional convention, but fell two states short of the threshold.
North Carolina lawmakers have been talking about the idea since at least 2011. The issue has been a divisive one, even among conservative Republicans and legislative leaders.
However, support for a constitutional convention appears to be growing. In 2024, Republican legislators voted along party lines to approve a resolution adding North Carolina to the list.
The 2024 resolution addressed only term limits for members of Congress. Another, broader resolution didn’t become law, largely due to the concerns of conservatives about the potential for constitutional chaos.
“It's really uncharted territory,” David McLennan, a political scientist at Meredith College, told WRAL News. “We could go there to have a debate over term limits for members of Congress, and it could turn into anything. It could be kind of a runaway convention.”
The 2025 proposal, House Bill 379, covers a lot more territory, suggesting amendments to restrict federal spending, rein in federal power over the states, and “limit the terms of office for [federal] officials and for members of Congress.” The word “officials” isn’t defined in the bill.
President Donald Trump has mused about a third presidential term, something the current constitution wouldn’t allow. He acknowledged those constraints in an interview with NBC News’ Meet the Press on Sunday.
Sponsors of the bill didn’t immediately respond to WRAL News’ questions about its potential scope.
Proponents of a convention argue that states could put limits on the topics their delegates would be authorized to consider. A companion bill, House Bill 214, proposes to do just that.
McLennan says there are no constitutional standards that would allow such limits to be enforced.
“It’s like Pandora's box,” he said. “The lid could come off and we could see a wholesale rewriting of the Constitution.”