I urge you to oppose HJR 23, HJR 24, and SJR 15, which would apply to Congress to call a convention to propose amendments, under Article V of the Constitution, otherwise known as a constitutional convention (Con-Con). HJR 23, specifically, calls for a plenary or general Article V convention. It merely states: "Resolved by this Assembly: That the General Assembly apply to the United States Congress to call a convention for the purpose of proposing amendments to the United States Constitution." This application is part of a larger scheme to force a convention in conjunction with the applications from other states to Congress for a convention to propose a federal Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA) to the Constitution. Advocates for a convention to propose a BBA Con-Con are plotting to force Congress to call a convention by aggregating the 27 "live," or active, BBA Con-Con applications with applications for a plenary constitutional convention, most of which are over a century old. This scheme is being promoted by an organization called the "Let Us Vote for a Balanced Budget Amendment Citizen’s Campaign," co-founded by David Biddulph in 2019. On July 31, 2020, the Associated Press reported about a presentation Biddulph gave at a workshop for the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) promoting the new scheme. The AP reported, "The new plan, presented during the ALEC workshop with a PowerPoint presentation from conservative activist David Biddulph, is to take the 28 state resolutions seeking a balanced budget amendment and combine them with six state resolutions passed over the last two centuries generally seeking a constitutional convention." (Emphasis added). I don't care what specific changes to our Constitution these resolutions call for -- a Con-Con is a dangerous idea that could lead to unintended and harmful consequences. The solution is to enforce the Constitution, not to change it. Oppose and vote against HJR 23, HJR 24, and SJR 15.

I implore you to oppose HJR 23, HJR 24, and SJR 15 and to ensure that they are rejected by the General Assembly. Any Con-Con application -- regardless of the topic -- could have a destructive effect on our country and Constitution, and should be opposed. A runaway convention will likely result -- similar to the 1787 constitutional convention -- and result in changes that nobody originally called for. These changes could limit our constitutional freedoms. For any amendments to pass, it would realistically need support from across the political spectrum. This makes the outcome of a Con-Con even more unknown. It's highly unlikely that any changes to the Constitution resulting from a convention would be superior to the current text. Please oppose HJR 23, HJR 24, and SJR 15, and work to ensure they don't pass.

Please oppose and vote against HJR 23, HJR 24, SJR 15, and every other resolution calling for an Article V convention to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution. There are many reasons why an Article V convention would be harmful to our country. It could lead to an "out-of-control" convention, special interests and other unsavory groups will inevitably take advantage of it, it will lead to unrest, and it falsely assumes that changing the Constitution will solve our country's problems. All-in-all, an Article V convention is unnecessary, unwelcome, and could severely harm our nation. Work to stop it, including by defeating HJR 23, HJR 24, and SJR 15.

Please oppose HJR 23, HJR 24, and SJR 15, along with every other application for an Article V convention, regardless of the subject. These resolutions rest upon a false assumption -- that there are problems with the U.S. Constitution that can be fixed by changing it. In reality, no such problems exist. The Constitution robustly protects individual freedom, and there's a good reason why it has existed longer than every other national constitution. There's also a high risk of a runaway convention, where amendments are proposed that Con-Con proponents didn't have in mind. The 1787 constitutional convention was a runaway convention, originally convened merely to amend the Articles of Confederation. Additionally, James Madison, in a 1788 letter to George Lee Turberville, stated that he opposed a second constitutional convention because special interests and extreme groups would take advantage of one. Please oppose and vote against HJR 23, HJR 24, and SJR 15.

I strongly request that you oppose and reject HJR 23, HJR 24, SJR 15, and all other Article V convention resolutions, no matter their subject or the policy they seek to advance. Any Article V convention would be a win for special interests and a loss for our country. The subject the convention would seek to act on is irrelevant -- a Con-Con could destabilize our country and become out of control. Our country is divided now, probably more than at any other point in history. The only thing that unites us is our shared Constitution. Why should we also take away this point of unity? A Con-Con could also limit the Bill of Rights, and either way, once a Con-Con is called, nothing would stop delegates from proposing amendments completely unrelated to what the Con-Con supporters want. The pro-Article V convention position rests on a false presupposition -- that there's something wrong with the Constitution that changing it would fix. Even if there were (there's not), the divisiveness and destabilizing effect of a Con-Con would neutralize any potential for an improved document. Please oppose all Con-Con applications, including HJR 23, HJR 24, and SJR 15.