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(copied and pasted from the website)
-Frequently Asked Questions-

Why Do We Want to Call a Convention of States?
Washington, D.C., is broken. The federal government is spending this country into the ground,
seizing power from the States and taking liberty from the people. It’s time American citizens took a
stand and made a legitimate effort to curb the power and jurisdiction of the federal government. The
Founders gave us a tool to fix Washington, D.C. – Article V of the U.S. Constitution. We must use it
before it is too late.

What is a Convention of States?
A Convention of States is a convention called by the state legislatures
for the purpose of proposing amendments to the Constitution.
They are given power to do this under Article V of the Constitution.
It is not a constitutional convention.
It cannot throw out the Constitution because its authority is derived from the Constitution.

How Do the State Legislatures Call a Convention of States?
Thirty-four State legislatures must pass a bill called an “application”
calling for a convention of states.
The applications must request a convention of states for the same subject matter.
They submit these applications to Congress.

Can Congress Block a Convention of States?
No.
As long as each States applies for a convention that deals with the same issue
(i.e., limiting the power and jurisdiction of the federal government),
Congress must call the convention.
Congress can name the place and the time for the convention.
If it fails to exercise this power reasonably, either the courts
or the states themselves can override Congressional inaction.

How Do States Choose Their Delegates?
States are free to develop their own selection process for choosing their delegates,
who are properly called “commissioners.”
Historically, the most common method was an election by a joint session
of both houses of the state legislature.
Despite how many delegates are sent, each state has one vote.

What Happens at a Convention of States?
Commissioners from each state may propose, discuss, and vote on amendments to the Constitution.
Amendments the convention passes by a simple majority will be sent back to the states for ratification.
Again, each state has one vote at the convention.

How are Proposed Amendments Ratified?
Thirty-eight States must ratify any proposed amendments.
Once States ratify, the amendments become part of the Constitution.

How Do We Know How a Convention of States Will Work?
Interstate conventions were common during the Founding era,
and the procedures and rules for such conventions were widely accepted.
Thus, we can know how a Convention of States would operate by looking at the historical record.
Dr. Rob Natelson has done extensive research on this topic,
and more details can be found in the Handbook.

Is a Constitutional Convention Safe?
Yes!
The ratification process ensures no amendment will be passed
that does not reflect the desires of the American people.
Additionally, there are numerous safeguards against a “runaway convention,”
all of which can be found in the Handbook.

If the Federal Government Ignores the Current Constitution,
Why Would They Adhere to an Amended Constitution?
When the Founders wrote the Constitution, they did not anticipate modern-day politicians
who take advantage of loopholes and vague phraseology.
Even though the federal violation of the Constitution is obvious to all reasonable Americans,
Washington pretends otherwise, claiming the Constitution contains broad and flexible language.
Amendments at a convention of states will be written with such politicians in mind.
The language they use for these amendments will be unequivocal.
There will be no doubt as to their meaning, no possibility of alternate interpretations,
and no way for them to be broken.
In addition to this, it should be noted that the federal government has not violated
the amendments passed in recent years. Women’s suffrage, for example, has been 100% upheld.

What is the Convention of States Project’s Plan?
The COS Project’s plan is twofold:
1. To call a convention for a particular subject rather than a particular amendment,
i.e., to limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government.

Instead of calling a convention for a balanced budget amendment
(though we are entirely supportive of such an amendment),
our convention would allow other federal limiting amendments to be brought as well
(such as Term-limits, Tax reform, etc.).

2. To energize the grassroots support!
We are building a grassroots operation in a minimum of 40 states,
getting 100 people to volunteer in at least 75% of the state legislative districts.
Volunteers will contact their State legislators, show up at hearings,
and support the campaigns of those legislators who support COS.