National Constitution Center Reveals Crowd-Sourced 28th Amendment

PHILADELPHIA, March 10, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The people have spoken. Throughout the month of February, the National Constitution Center asked visitors both onsite and online via social media and the museum's website to submit their proposals for the next amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The crowd-sourcing initiative was part of the Constitution Center's first-ever 27 Amendments (in 27 Days) project—a crash-course in the amendments from the Bill of Rights to congressional salaries. The museum received an overwhelming number of responses ranging from the serious (abolishing the Electoral College) to the humorous (Free Pizza Fridays).

In the end, the most submitted suggestions were put to a live audience vote—setting term limits for Congress, campaign finance reform, and eliminating corporate person-hood. The audience also had the choice not to add a new amendment at this time. After the votes were tallied, a clear winner emerged—term limits for Congress should be added as the 28th Amendment to the Constitution. During the program, the audience also received an overview on the steps necessary to make a constitutional amendment a reality. Term limits for Congress also received the most votes on the museum's social media pages.

"We are thrilled with the results of this new initiative," said Kerry Sautner, Vice President of Education and Visitor Experience at the National Constitution Center. "I believe we succeeded in providing a simple and fun way for our visitors to either learn or re-learn the amendments to the Constitution as well as have a platform to express their thoughts and feelings on current issues. We hope people will continue to utilize the National Constitution Center as a resource for educating themselves on all sides of the issues and that they share their suggestions with their local government officials as well."

The National Constitution Center's Education staff noticed several themes and trends that emerged from the crowd-sourced suggestions. Several submissions were received for removing partisan gerrymandering and for the repeal of the 17th Amendment, which established the direct election of Senators by popular vote. More than a few responses addressed salaries and benefits for Congress and other public officials with one individual commenting that "no government employee benefits should exceed benefits of their constituents." A gender equality amendment also was proposed as was a marriage equality amendment and an update to the current 2nd amendment that would allow for some government restriction on ownership and use of specific weapons. A few submissions even stated that there was no need for a 28th Amendment, instead "we need better, more informed citizens/voters."

For more information on how to embrace your role in the story of "We the People" and create change in your own local community and the nation as a whole, check out a list of resources available on our website.

About the National Constitution Center
The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia is the Museum of We the People, America's Town Hall, and a Headquarters for Civic Education. As the Museum of We the People, the National Constitution Center brings the United States Constitution to life for visitors of all ages and inspires active citizenship by celebrating the American constitutional tradition. The museum features interactive exhibits, engaging theatrical performances, and original documents of freedom. As the only institution established by

Congress to "disseminate information about the United States Constitution on a non-partisan basis," the National Constitution Center serves as a Headquarters for Civic Education—offering cutting-edge learning resources including the premier online Interactive Constitution. As America's Town Hall, the National Constitution Center hosts timely constitutional conversations uniting distinguished leaders, scholars, authors, and journalists from across the political spectrum. For more information, call 215-409-6700 or visit constitutioncenter.org. 

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SOURCE National Constitution Center