1. Proposal: An amendment can be proposed by a two-thirds vote of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, or by a constitutional convention called by Congress at the request of two-thirds of the state legislatures.
2. Ratification: Once proposed, an amendment must be ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures (38 out of 50 states) or by conventions in three-fourths of the states.
These requirements make it challenging to amend the Constitution as they set a high threshold for approval. Amending the Constitution is intended to be a deliberate and thoughtful process, preventing frequent and impulsive changes to the fundamental law of the land.