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There are 3 ways to amend the Constitution (Article XII):

1. Legislative proposal. An amendment may be proposed in the senate or house of representatives. If agreed to by two-thirds of the members of each house, the proposal is voted on by the people.
2. Petition. We, the people, may petition for a proposal to be put on the ballot. The number of signatures must be at least 10 percent of the total vote cast in the last gubernatorial election.
3. Constitutional convention. Every 16 years we get to vote on whether a constitutional convention should be held. The next vote will be in 2010. If we vote yes, another election is held to elect delegates to the convention. A delegate is elected for each representative district and each senatorial district. Any amendment or new constitution must be approved by a majority of the delegates and then put to a vote of the people.

One reason we need to amend the Constitution is to eliminate the Senate, and we'll never get the Legislature to propose that amendment. That leaves petition and constitutional convention. Having been involved in petition drives - most recently, the one to ban dove hunting - I can assure you that it is tedious, time-consuming and humiliating. Whoever came up with the idea of petitions must really have hated democracy. So constitutional convention it is. Remember to vote Yes in 2010.

To keep the convention from getting out of control, we will only elect delegates who commit to a specific list of changes. Here they are:

1. Eliminate the Senate.
2. Change the amendment process (Article XII) so that an amendment proposed in the House of Representatives needs to be approved by a simple majority of Representatives rather than two-thirds. Democracy is, after all, majority rule.
3. The initiative process (Article II, Section 9) allows the people to propose laws by petition. The referendum process allows the people to petition to reverse laws passed by the Legislature. In either case, the issue is ultimately decided by a vote of the people. I would amend the Constitution to allow each process to be initiated - in additional to petition of the people - by vote of one-fourth of the Legislature (House of Representatives). This means that a legislative proposal that fails to get majority approval can be put before the people by vote of one-fourth of Legislative members. And any existing law can - by vote of one-fourth of the members - be put before the people for possible repeal.

The above 3 changes are the only ones that need to be made at the convention. Any other changes can be made after the new Constitution is in force, when amendments can be proposed by a simple majority of the House of Representatives.