U.S. amendment gridlock raises stakes

A Pew Research Center scoring of democratic constitutions finds the United States among the hardest to amend, with just 27 formal amendments in 237 years and a comparative difficulty score of 5.10. That rigidity means widely supported changes (term limits, campaign finance rules, age ceilings) are unlikely to succeed through Article V and may shift reform energy to courts, state laws, or political norms. — Shows that constitutional design, not just political will, shapes which democratic reforms are feasible and where reformers will focus their strategies.