The US decides to write a New Constitution in 2030. What would you change?

[Bandit3 the Worker]

Also, I'd specify that healthcare, housing, education, and employment are rights. I shouldn't even need to add this, but for all the MAGA types going around yelling about how they're not rights.

I'd also make it easier to impeach members of Congress.

[Calthrina950]

There would be many things that I would change with the Constitution. For one, I would impose term limits on members of Congress and the Supreme Court, which would include a mandatory retirement age. I would revise the Enumerated Powers Clause, updating Congress's authority over the military, foreign affairs, commerce, and other fields. I would probably impose a cap on the size of the U.S. House, repeal the provision that mandates spending bills must originate in the House, and include provisions expounding on the specific powers and duties of the Speaker, the House Majority Leader, and other such officials. I would probably also include some more provisions about the Senate, and clarify the "Necessary and Proper" clause.

I would expand upon the Presidency, establishing specific limits on the President's authority (i.e. such as with tariffs, diplomatic recognition, and military operations). This would include a clarification of the clause which entrusts him with responsibility for "executing the laws of the United States." I would strengthen the Bill of Rights, particularly the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. Moreover, I would give statehood to the District of Columbia, and change some of the requirements for amending the Constitution.

[junior chįmp]

An amendment allowing for a federal referrenda to amend the constitution would be ideal. We could just bypass the SCOTUS, Congress, and presidency altogether

But it would still depend on Congress setting the criteria for how to get an issue on the ballot. Also it would probably be good to have a supermajority, or else the country probably would have voted to enshrine segregation and things like interracial marriage ban in the constitution and prevented anything like Brown v Board of Education. (And even a supermajority might have supported that) But if dealing with a super-majorities, it would still be pretty hard to make big changes.

A simple solution to this would be to amend Article V to allow for state ballot initiatives to propose Amendments for ratification by the state legislatures

[elcorazon]

eliminate natural born language to become president
eliminate 2 senators per state and make it more representative
eliminate death penalty
require ALL citizens to retain right to vote regardless of status regarding their criminality
eliminate right to bear arms

[Blue3]

For more focus...

1. Would something like an Electoral College or Senate be required, to give states more powers?

2. While it will probably need sub-units for governance (governors, mayors, etc.), though that's not required... should those sub-units have rights (like states' rights in the USA under a federal system, especially before the Civil War), or should they just have the power that the national government decides to delegate to them (like the UK, under a unitary system?)

3. Would the people demand that they be able to elect the chief executive of the government directly (like a simple-majority-vote presidential system), or would they all be able to accept a more parliamentary system? Or would there be more than one chief executive (for example: a triumvirate... or an elected cabinet where each minister or department secretary has a specific unique function with no constitutional leader among them, and they just form an Executive Council for issues that cross multiple departments'/ministries' domains?).

4. How strict would you make the national education system? Would you make the metric system the global system of weights and measurements, or have it dual?

5. What type of economic system would be written into the constitution? More libertarian, or more social-democratic, or more like Russian/Chinese-style capitalism, or just silent on the subject so the legislature has flexibility over time?

6. What would be the criteria for amending the constitution? Would it be high enough to prevent a single demographic or two from potentially controlling everything and becoming dominant to game the system? Would it be low enough for amendments to be possible if desperately needed?

7. Would your legislature be unicameral, bicameral, tricameral, quadcameral? And how are they different? Or is there just an elected constitutional monarch who legislates as well as executes? Is there a direct democracy, or referendum, component? Besides based on population or based on land, perhaps one or more houses of the legislature are based on DNA haplogroups/ancestry groups of about equal population (so you have the same rep. wherever you move)... Or based on major demographics such as a Senator for all disabled people and a senator for all jewish people and a senator for all serbian people and a senator for all atheists and a senator for all gay people and a senator for all black people, etc.

8. How would you prevent religious fundamentalists and ideological radicals from seizing control of an area or all government?

9. What does the judiciary look like? If there's a Supreme Court, what's its role, and how are its members chosen? What does a civil trial look like? What does a criminal trial look like? Are there juries and judges or something "better"? More like common law or civil law?

10. What's the legal status of parties, are they written into the constitution, or are they allowed but the rules are left to the legislature and the parties since they aren't explicitly mentioned or constitutionally required (like in the US). Do citizens in this country vote for the party, or for the individual? Also, what about campaign funding regulations?

[America Needs a 13-6 Progressive SCOTUS]

Take away "right to vote" and replace it with "responsibility to vote".

[Mike Thick]

 - Make political campaigns entirely publicly funded
 - Turn the Senate into a House of Lords-style body with only limited legislative power
 - Mandate Wyoming Rule apportionment, and ban caps on House membership
 - Abolish the electoral college, and put in place either a French-style runoff system or IRV
 - Require that any territory with a larger population than the smallest U.S. state be allowed self-determination re: their legal status

[Dr. MB]

(Voting/Elections)
1. Abolish the Electoral College and allow presidential participation for all states and territories of the US. Make it a two-round system like France.
2. Make it so voting rights and citizenship cannot be taken away due to criminal conviction.
3. Lower the voting age to 16.
4. Allow representation for all states and territories in Congress, including two Senators for all territories 1/2 the population of the lowest state.
5. Increase the size of the House to 635 and make that a minimum limit. 200 elected by proportional.
6. Constitutionally mandate a national presidential primary to be held by all parties on the same day. Same goes for statewide primaries.
7. Implement 10-year term limits for SCOTUS with a ban on renomination.
8. Make the Presidency a 6-year term with a ban on reelection (like Mexico).
9. Create a system of national referenda that can be called by Congress or the president, or by a certain % of voters.
10. Eliminate natural-born citizen requirement.
11. Ban non-individual contributions to campaigns as well as super PACs.
12. All presidential nominees must have a hearing within six months of nomination.
13. Bill goes to the floor so long as it has the support of 1/5 House/Senate.
14. National election holiday (on both general/primary days) and option to receive ballots by mail.
15. Allow VP to break all tied Senate votes.
16. No compulsory police questioning.

(Bill of Rights)
1. Expand the 4th amendment and ensure a ban on govt. surveillance of internet/phone communications without a warrant. Add in privacy on the internet.
2. Ban prison sentences longer than 15 years for all crimes but murder, serial rape, and child sexual abuse.
3. Guarantee the right to receive healthcare.
4. Right to electricity and internet service.
5. Right to receive higher education (shouldn't be mandatory though)
6. Right to work (no, not that RTW, right to employment)
7. Ban on civil forfeiture and foreclosure.
8. Clarify that the Bill of Rights apply to minors as well, and apply in school.
9. Paid parental/sick leave
10. Overtime may not be required by employers.
11. Eliminate corporate personhood.
12. Allow unlimited freedom of movement in public areas, get rid of curfew laws and orders.
13. Expand the 1st, eliminate necessity of permits for marches.
14. Eliminate the selective service.
15. Severely curtail eminent domain.
16. Remove "punishment for a crime" bit from the 13th.
17. No prison for crimes other than rape, murder, assault, attempted murder, terrorism plot, child abuse, or certain high white-collar crimes.
18. Reform voir dire/jury selection.
19. Some sort of law enforcement reform.
20. Right to strike.

(Other)
1. Ban on suspending the Constitution.
2. Ban on military action without 2/3 vote of Congress.
3. Eliminate congressional jurisdiction over D.C. minus the WH/Capitol grounds.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Aside from the Bill of Rights, everything. The constitutional framing for our federal government is the equivalent of a house without electricity or indoor plumbing.

The lack of anything remotely resembling a modern civil service is a particularly huge issue.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Aside from the Bill of Rights, everything. The constitutional framing for our federal government is the equivalent of a house without electricity or indoor plumbing.

At this point in time, with how jaded I have become, I can agree with this too. Even some of the Bill of Rights should go, or at least be clarified or modified.

[136or142]

Re-write the sections of the Constitution involved to acknowledge that political parties exist.

Similar to that, do away with the impeachment process and subject the President to normal criminal law procedures.

I'm not sure about how to address impeachment for matters other than criminal activity.

Do away with the elected U.S Senate and have an appointed body of policy experts to act as a counter on the craven politicians in the U.S House.  (There are various proposals in other countries for who would do that appointments.)

Consider changing the United States to a Parliamentary system.

Clarify all sorts of things in the Constitution like the Second Amendment and what is meant by 'speech.'