At present, the U.S. Constitution is the oldest written constitution still in force and, at the same time, one of the most difficult to amend or improve. There have only been 27 amendments since the Constitution was ratified in 1788. Some broadly popular reforms — from overturning Citizens United to guaranteeing equal rights regardless of sex — never make it into the Constitution, no matter how many Americans support them. The American people widely agree that the system is broken and needs to change, but unlike other constitutions, ours provides no reasonable means for evolution. To keep our democracy responsive and legitimate, we need a more accessible way to amend the Constitution — we need to change the way we change.

The American Constitution is deliberately frozen in place. Ar

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