Guest commentary: Article V convention fails in Idaho
By DOROTHY MOON

Mar 29, 2025

The Idaho House overwhelmingly rejected House Concurrent Resolution 10, aimed at petitioning Congress to call an Article V Convention of States. This is a decisive victory for Idahoans by safeguarding America’s Constitution. The resolution failed by a significant margin, 44 nays to 26 ayes. This rejection occurred despite Convention of States promoters who have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to influence state legislators. The national Convention of States Project has for several years spent fortunes influencing Idaho legislative races in hopes to remove opposition against their failed agenda.

An Article V Convention, often represented as the Founder’s intended method for amending the Constitution, poses grave risks during our nation’s current expanding political polarization. Though intended to allow states to propose amendments, the provisions of Article V remain dangerously vague. The Constitution provides no guidelines for selecting convention delegates, no limitations on the matters that could be addressed, and no mechanisms to rein in a “runaway convention.” Former Chief Justice Warren Burger warned of these risks, asserting that there is no way to limit or control what such a convention might do once convened. The Republican National Committee codified this sentiment in its 2012 resolution firmly opposing any attempt to convene an Article V Constitutional Convention, seeing it as an opportunity for radical liberal groups to fundamentally rewrite the Constitution to advance their agenda.

HCR 10 sought to lead Idaho down this perilous path under the guise of reining in federal power by enacting balanced budget proposals and other supposedly populous remedies as Constitutional Amendments. However, this resolution would do nothing to prevent special interests from hijacking a convention. Progressives, with their well-funded campaigns, would eagerly seize upon the lack of precedence as an Article V Convention has never been called under our Constitution. Without historic guidelines and guardrails the Left would seize to promote policies that are antithetical to Idaho’s conservative values. The Constitution has already withstood the test of time. Its existing amendment process has allowed it to evolve responsibly without exposing the entire document to wholesale revisions.

The Idaho Republican Party opposed this resolution during its committee hearing as well as the Republican National Committee who have opposed an Article V Convention of States for years. The defeat of House Concurrent Resolution 10 makes it clear that such proposals are not only unnecessary but reckless. Our Constitution, regarded as the most successful governing document in human history, deserves to be protected—not jeopardized by activists or lobbyists who would render it unrecognizable.

Today’s defeat of HCR 10 speaks not only to the wisdom of Idaho’s lawmakers but to the enduring importance of grassroots efforts in defending our liberties. This outcome signals that Idahoans, and in particular conservatives, have no interest in gambling with our founding principles. The Idaho Republican Party will continue to stand guard and advocate for the preservation and integrity of our Constitution. We urge all Idahoans to remain vigilant and oppose any future attempts to endanger our state and national sovereignty through this reckless Article V Convention scheme.

Dorothy Moon is chairwoman of the Idaho Republican Party.