The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress...." —United States Constitution, Article V
This excerpt from Article V of the United States Constitution outlines the process for proposing and ratifying amendments to the Constitution. It states that the Congress can propose amendments by a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Additionally, if two-thirds of the state legislatures request it, Congress must call a convention to propose amendments.
Once an amendment has been proposed, it must be ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states or by conventions in three-fourths of the states, depending on which mode of ratification is proposed by Congress. This means that either the state legislatures or specially convened conventions must approve the proposed amendment by a three-fourths majority before it becomes part of the Constitution.
This provision allows for amendments to be added to the Constitution to reflect changing times, societal developments, or necessary modifications to the existing document. However, the process is deliberately made challenging to ensure the stability and significance of the Constitution while also allowing for amendments when deemed necessary.