Why State Constitutions Change MUCH More Frequently Than The Federal Constitution

On this episode: The U.S. Constitution has been amended just 27 times in over 230 years. State constitutions, collectively, have been amended more than 7,000 times — and rewritten from scratch over 140 times. Ballotpedia founder and CEO Leslie Graves joins host Norman Leahy to explore why that gap exists, what gets embedded in state constitutions and why, and how states have effectively become the laboratories where Americans test out big policy changes. From California's Proposition 13 to the Article Five convention that's never happened, it's a conversation about how self-governance actually works in practice.Read Leslie’s Column: ⁠https://ballotpedia.org/From_the_desk_of_Leslie_Graves⁠ Check out our complete office hours series: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtP8LWIl9mMO2t_0SXnYhwMv6HHgIoL75⁠ Complete a brief 5 minute survey to review the show and share some feedback: https://forms.gle/zPxYSog5civyvEKX6 Sign up for our Newsletters: https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia_Email_Updates Stream "On the Ballot" on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you have questions, comments, or love for BP, feel free to reach out at [email protected] or on X (formerly Twitter) @Ballotpedia.*On The Ballot is a conversational podcast featuring interviews with guests across the political spectrum. The views and opinions expressed by them are solely their own and are not representative of the views of the host or Ballotpedia as a whole.