Three years after the Wisconsin Legislature approved calling for a constitutional convention, another Midwestern state has joined the call. Last week, Indiana legislators became the eleventh state to call for a constitutional convention to address term limits. Indiana joined Wisconsin as one of 19 states to pass a Convention of States resolution, though they have not been for the same reasons. For example, Wisconsin’s resolution called for a constitutional convention to address fiscal restraints on the federal government, limiting the federal government’s powers and jurisdiction and imposing term limits. A previous attempt in 2017 only addressed a mandate that the federal government pass a balanced budget. Thirty-four states must call for a federal constitutional convention, which would be the United States’ first since the Founding Fathers drew up the original document in 1787. With a lack of precedent, Common Cause Wisconsin Executive Director Jay Heck fears the direction a constitutional convention could go if it ever does convene again.
