Across the country, state legislatures dominated by hard-right majorities are quietly advancing resolutions to trigger an Article V constitutional convention. On the surface, these measures are framed as efforts to impose fiscal restraint or enact term limits. Yet as Nancy MacLean (2017/2023) warns in the updated edition of Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America, the real goal is far more sweeping: to exploit a little-known constitutional loophole to rewrite the very rules of American democracy itself.
Article V outlines two routes for amending the Constitution. Most Americans are familiar with the path requiring two-thirds approval in both houses of Congress and ratification by three-quarters of the states. Less well-known is the provision that allows two-thirds of state legislatures to call a constitutional convention with the power to propose sweeping amendments without congressional involvement (U.S. National Archives, n.d.).
For MacLean, this obscure second route represents the “back door” through which today’s ultra-conservative movement hopes to hardwire minority rule into the nation’s foundational charter.
National figures such as former Senator Rick Santorum and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have appeared in Ohio to support resolutions, while advocates have cautioned that once called, a convention would operate without clear guardrails, raising the possibility of a free-for-all rewrite of the Constitution (Tebben, 2025).
Texas Congressman Jodey Arrington (2022) has called for an Article V Constitutional Convention, as well. Critics going back to James Madison (1788) have underscored that such conventions are inherently risky precisely because of their lack of regulation once convened.
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| James Madison |
By concentrating their efforts at the state level, rather than in Congress, reactionary operatives believe they can engineer a convention that would be less transparent, less accountable, and more insulated from public debate. Such a process, MacLean argues, could enable authoritarian actors to push forward constitutional changes—gutting voting rights, curtailing academic freedom, weakening checks and balances, and insulating elites from accountability—for generations to come.
She traces these strategies back to the coldly calculating and deeply ideological economist James Buchanan, whose theories of limiting democracy and constraining majority rule have become the intellectual blueprint for today’s assault on democratic institutions (MacLean, 2017/2023).
Importantly, MacLean notes that these designs have not gone unnoticed. She highlights the vital work of Common Cause, a nonpartisan democracy watchdog, which has tracked and exposed the stealth campaign for an Article V convention. Through state-by-state monitoring, public reports, and grassroots mobilization, Common Cause has revealed how dark money networks and partisan operatives cloak their agenda under the language of “fiscal responsibility” or “term limits.”
Their Ohio findings add urgency. Beneath the surface of what looks like incremental reform lies a coordinated effort to tilt power permanently toward wealthy elites. By bringing these hidden strategies into public view, Common Cause has become an essential counterweight, mobilizing citizens to resist what MacLean describes as nothing less than an attempt to put “democracy in chains.”
What can you do? First, educate yourself about this stealth agenda. Nancy MacLean’s Democracy in Chains (2023 updated edition, also available as an audiobook) is a great place to start. Stay informed by following Common Cause’s updates on Article V, and if you are able, consider donating to support their vital work defending democracy. Contact your state representatives to make your concerns about an Article V convention clear.
Remember that phrases like “fiscal restraint” and “term limits” may sound reasonable on the surface, but they are often used as Trojan horses to advance a much broader agenda of weakening democratic institutions and consolidating power in the hands of a few. This is not just a theoretical debate—it is an active campaign unfolding in state legislatures across the country. Our responsibility is to stay vigilant, informed, and engaged so that we can protect the Constitution from being rewritten in secret.
References
Arrington, J. (2022, July 20). Arrington introduces legislation calling for a Convention of States to propose a fiscal responsibility amendment to U.S. Constitution [Press release]. U.S. Representative Jodey Arrington. https://arrington.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=782
Common Cause. (n.d.). Article V constitutional convention. https://www.commoncause.org/our-work/amending-constitution/article-v/
MacLean, N. (2017/2023). Democracy in chains: The deep history of the radical right’s stealth plan for America (Updated ed.). Penguin. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/533763/democracy-in-chains-by-nancy-maclean/
Madison, J. (1788, November 2). Letter to George Lee Turberville. In W. T. Hutchinson & W. M. E. Rachal (Eds.), The Papers of James Madison (Vol. 11). University of Chicago Press. https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/01-11-02-0243
Tebben, S. (2025, June 12). Ohio ‘state to watch’ for U.S. constitutional convention measures, concerned advocates say.Ohio Capital Journal. https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2025/06/12/ohio-state-to-watch-for-u-s-constitutional-convention-measures-concerned-advocates-say/
U.S. National Archives. (n.d.). Constitutional amendment process. https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/constitution.
