CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Senate voted along party lines Tuesday to request an Article V convention to amend the U.S. Constitution, an event that has never happened since the Constitution was adopted in 1787 and that critics fear could leave the Constitution vulnerable to wholesale changes.
The resolution passed by the Senate (SCR 10) calls for a convention to limit the power of the federal government, to limit federal spending and for term limits on members of Congress.
West Virginia would be the sixth state to call for such a convention, according to Sen. Charles Trump, R-Morgan, one of the resolution’s sponsors.
It would take requests from 34 states to convene an Article V convention — named after the article of the Constitution that describes the process — and it would take 38 states to approve any changes to the Constitution.
The Senate voted 18-14 to call for the convention, with every Republican voting in favor and every Democrat opposed…
