HCR 032 calls that Idaho join a convening of states at a Constitutional Convention as allowed under Article V of the U.S. Constitution. Despite the introduction and defeat of a similar measure last year, proponents of a Constitutional Convention aren’t backing down and have brought their resolution back. Read the full text of the bill here.
The ACLU of Idaho is opposed to HCR 032 because a constitutional convention places our entire form of government and all of our carefully crafted freedoms and liberties at great risk. We cannot confine a constitutional convention to a single subject, nor is there any way to protect against a convention rewriting our nation’s founding document. There are no standards governing the conduct and procedures of a constitutional convention and no way to ensure that delegates will truly represent the will of the people or be representative of all who live in Idaho. Ultimately, there is no mechanism for guaranteeing that the rules governing the convention’s conduct are fair and that the U.S. Constitution, and our fundamental civil liberties, will not end up on the chopping block.