Jonah Patel
The authors of the U.S. Constitution did not intend for senators to be directly elected by the people. Instead, Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution provided for the election of senators by state legislatures. This changed with the Seventeenth Amendment, which was passed by Congress in 1912 and ratified in 1913, allowing for the direct election of senators by popular vote. This amendment was driven by concerns over bribery and corruption in state legislatures and the influence of special interests and political machines. While the Seventeenth Amendment brought about direct elections for senators, the U.S. president is still not directly elected by popular vote but through the Electoral College system, which has been a source of ongoing controversy and reform proposals.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Direct election of senators introduced | 1913 |
| Amendment number | Seventeenth Amendment |
| Date of Senate passage | June 12, 1911 |
| Date of House of Representatives approval | May 13, 1912 |
| Date of ratification | April 8, 1913 |
| First senator directly elected | Augustus Bacon of Georgia |
| Date of first direct election of Augustus Bacon | July 15, 1913 |
| Number of states that elected U.S senators by popular vote in 1912 | 29 |
| Alternative to direct election | Electoral College |
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What You'll Learn
The Seventeenth Amendment
The first senator directly elected under the Seventeenth Amendment was Augustus Bacon of Georgia, who took office on July 15, 1913. The transition to the direct election of senators was gradual, with the process beginning in Georgia and Maryland and concluding on March 4, 1919, when the senators chosen in the November 1918 election took office.
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The Electoral College
Despite the criticism and proposed amendments, the Electoral College continues to be a part of the US presidential election process. It is worth noting that the term "electoral college" does not appear in the Constitution, and many consider it archaic and ambiguous. However, supporters argue that it guarantees that every part of the Union will attract political investment and campaigning, ensuring that no area is taken for granted.
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State legislatures
The authors of the US Constitution did not win by direct election. The Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1913, modified Article I, Section 3, of the Constitution, allowing voters to cast direct votes for US senators. Before this, senators were chosen by state legislatures.
The Seventeenth Amendment restates the first paragraph of Article I, Section 3, and provides for the election of senators by replacing the phrase "chosen by the Legislature thereof" with "elected by the people thereof". This amendment was passed following a series of events that galvanised public support for reform. In 1906, publisher William Randolph Hearst, a proponent of direct election, hired novelist David Graham Phillips to write a series of articles on the subject. Phillips' series, "The Treason of the Senate," offered an account of senators as pawns of industrialists and financiers, which further increased public support for reform.
In 1911, Senator Joseph Bristow of Kansas offered a Senate resolution to amend the Constitution, and this was soon supported by other senators, including Senator William Borah of Idaho, who was a product of a state-based system of direct election. By 1912, 29 states elected US senators either as nominees of their party's primary or in a general election. These popularly elected senators became outspoken proponents for a direct election process. The resolution became the 17th Amendment on April 8, 1913, and the following year marked the first time that all senatorial elections were held by popular vote.
The US Constitution originally provided for the election of senators by state legislatures. As early as 1826, resolutions calling for the direct popular election of senators appeared in the House of Representatives, but none succeeded. In 1866, Congress passed a law to regulate the time and procedure for electing senators, but it still left the election to state legislatures. Following the Civil War, disputes among state legislators over Senate elections resulted in numerous deadlocks, leaving some Senate seats vacant for extended periods.
The Founding Fathers established the Electoral College in the Constitution as a compromise between the election of the President by a vote in Congress and the election by a popular vote of qualified citizens. The Electoral College is a complex and non-uniform state-based process designed to filter public opinion through a "deliberative" intermediate institution. The US Senate was originally composed of Members chosen by state legislatures, not by popular vote.
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Public opinion
In the early years of the United States, the Electoral College was established by the Founding Fathers as an alternative to electing the president by popular vote or by Congress. This system was designed to filter public opinion through a "deliberative" intermediate institution, ensuring that the president was chosen by a body of electors rather than directly by the people. However, over time, there have been increasing calls for reform and proposals for constitutional amendments to move towards a direct election system.
One of the key moments in the debate over direct election came in 1906 when publisher William Randolph Hearst hired novelist David Graham Phillips to write a series of articles on the subject. Phillips' "The Treason of the Senate" series offered a critical and fictionalized account of senators as being influenced by powerful interests. This helped to galvanize public support for reform and led to Senator Joseph Bristow of Kansas proposing a Senate resolution to amend the Constitution in 1911. The resolution provided for the direct election of senators and was supported by other senators, including William Borah of Idaho.
By 1912, 29 states had already adopted a system of direct election for their senators, either through a state primary election or a general election. This momentum for reform culminated in the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution in 1913, which allowed voters to cast direct votes for U.S. senators for the first time. This amendment modified Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution, replacing the phrase "chosen by the Legislature thereof" with "elected by the people thereof."
While the Seventeenth Amendment represented a significant shift towards direct democracy, the Electoral College system for presidential elections has remained a subject of ongoing debate. There have been numerous proposals to amend the Constitution and move towards a direct popular vote for the presidency. However, these proposals have faced opposition and have not gained sufficient support to become amendments. Critics of the Electoral College argue that it can lead to "wrong winners," drag down voter turnout, and contribute to political polarization. On the other hand, supporters of the Electoral College argue that it is an essential part of the state-based design of the electoral process and that amending it could be unenforceable or unconstitutional.
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Constitutional reform
The authors of the US Constitution did not win by direct election. The US Constitution, as written by its framers, provided for the election of senators by state legislatures. Article I, Section 3 of the US Constitution, as drafted in 1787, did not envisage the current system of "direct election".
The Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1913, modified Article I, Section 3, allowing voters to cast direct votes for US senators. This amendment was a response to growing public demand for reform, with many regarding the Senate as a "millionaires' club" serving powerful private interests. The National Popular Vote Plan is a recent proposal to address the problems of the Electoral College and work around the amendment process. The plan proposes an interstate agreement for states to appoint electors for the winner of the national popular vote rather than the winner in each state.
Despite the numerous proposals for reform, the Electoral College remains a part of the US Constitution. This is due to the high bar for amending the Constitution, which requires a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the states. While some states have adopted measures such as the "Oregon system", a constitutional amendment mandating the direct election of senators by the citizens was necessary to address concerns of bribery and corruption.
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Frequently asked questions
No. The framers of the US Constitution did not win by direct election.
Before the 17th Amendment, senators were chosen by state legislatures.
The 17th Amendment, passed in 1913, modified Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution, allowing voters to cast direct votes for US senators.
The Electoral College is a process established by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution for electing the President of the United States. It is an alternative to electing the president by popular vote or by Congress.
Yes, it can be changed by passing a Constitutional amendment.
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