Simone Lawson
The Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which came into effect in 1913, changed how US senators were elected. The amendment established that senators would be directly elected by the voters of their states, replacing the previous system where senators were appointed by state legislatures. This change addressed concerns about the dominance of Senate elections and aimed to reduce the influence of special interests on senator selections. The amendment also addressed vacancies in the Senate, allowing state legislatures to empower governors to make temporary appointments. The Seventeenth Amendment was widely seen as a way to balance power and limit the influence of the wealthy.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of proposal | 1911 |
| Proposer | Senator Joseph Bristow of Kansas |
| Date of approval by the House of Representatives | May 13, 1912 |
| Date of approval by the Senate | April 12, 1912 |
| Date of approval by the states | April 8, 1913 |
| Number of states that approved it | 3/4 majority |
| First senator elected under the terms of the 17th Amendment | Augustus Bacon of Georgia |
| Date of election | July 15, 1913 |
| Date of direct election of U.S. senators | 1913 |
| Article amended | Article I, Section 3 |
| Clause amended | Clause 1 |
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What You'll Learn
Direct election of senators
The Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution changed a portion of Article I, Section 3, providing for the direct election of senators by the voters of their states. This amendment was not intended to affect the election or term of any senator chosen before it became valid.
Prior to the Seventeenth Amendment, each state legislature chose its state's senators for a six-year term. This was based on the Connecticut Compromise between small and large states, which contrasted with the House of Representatives, elected by popular vote. However, this system was perceived to distract the electorate from other pertinent issues, with voters more interested in the indirect Senate election.
Calls for a constitutional amendment regarding Senate elections started in the early 19th century, with proposals for a popular election process. By 1911, Senator Joseph Bristow of Kansas offered a resolution to amend the Constitution, and soon other senators, including William Borah of Idaho, called for reform. The resolution passed the Senate on June 12, 1911, and moved to the House of Representatives, which approved it, and then to the states for ratification.
The Seventeenth Amendment requires a governor to call a special election to fill vacancies in the Senate. It also allows state legislatures to permit their governors to make temporary appointments until a special election is held. This amendment aimed to limit the influence of the wealthy and reduce the impact of special interests on senator selection.
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Temporary appointments
The Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, passed in 1912 and ratified in 1913, introduced the direct election of senators by popular vote. This amendment changed a portion of Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution, which had originally provided for the appointment of senators by state legislatures. Each state legislature chose two senators to represent their state for a six-year term.
The Seventeenth Amendment also addressed the issue of temporary appointments to fill Senate vacancies. It states that "the legislature of any state may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments". This provision allows a state's legislature to delegate the authority to its governor to make temporary appointments to fill Senate vacancies. However, it is important to note that this authority is not about whom the governor may appoint but rather the power to appoint temporary senators.
The amendment ensures that the governor must call a special election to fill Senate vacancies. These temporary appointments last only until a special election is held, at which point the people of the state fill the vacancy by election. This process ensures that Senate seats do not remain vacant for extended periods, as had occurred previously due to disputes among state legislators.
At the time of the amendment, 29 states had already adopted methods for allowing voters to choose their senators, such as through the appointment of party primary winners by the legislature. The Seventeenth Amendment was seen as a way to reduce the influence of special interests on senator selection and prevent vacancies caused by party leadership changes at the state level.
As of the early 21st century, all but four states (North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin) permitted their governors to make temporary Senate appointments.
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Reducing big business influence
The Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1913, introduced the direct election of senators by the voters of their states. This altered the original mechanism, outlined in Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution, which provided for the appointment of senators by state legislatures.
The 17th Amendment was seen as necessary to reduce the influence of big business and other special interests on senator selections. This influence had become so dominant that it distracted the electorate from other pertinent issues. Senator John H. Mitchell observed that voters were more interested in the indirect Senate election than the policy stances and qualifications of state legislative candidates.
The amendment aimed to address this by empowering voters to directly elect their senators, thereby reducing the influence of special interests and ensuring that legislative campaigns could focus on local issues. This change also helped prevent vacancies or frequent turnover in the Senate caused by party wrangling or changes in state-level leadership.
In addition, the 17th Amendment requires a governor to call a special election to fill Senate vacancies. It also allows a state's legislature to authorise its governor to make temporary appointments until a special election is held. This provision further reduces the potential for influence from special interests by ensuring prompt action to fill Senate vacancies.
While the 17th Amendment has been successful in reducing the influence of big business and other special interests, it has also been the subject of criticism and calls for repeal by some conservative scholars, who argue that it undermines the balance of power between the federal government and the states.
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State representation
The Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution changed how senators were elected, moving from state legislatures electing senators to a popular vote.
The amendment states that:
> The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures. When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.
This change in the election process was not without controversy. On the one hand, it was seen as a way to reduce the influence of special interests and big business on Senate selections. It also prevented vacancies and turnovers in the Senate caused by party leadership changes at the state level.
On the other hand, some argued that it undermined the balance of power between the federal government and the states. The original method of electing senators had its advantages. For instance, it ensured that citizens retained loyalty to their original state, and state interests were represented in the Senate.
The push for a constitutional amendment regarding Senate elections started as early as 1826, with proposals for a popular election amendment introduced in 1829 and 1855. By 1911, Senator Joseph Bristow of Kansas offered a Senate resolution to amend the Constitution, and by 1912, 29 states elected US senators through a direct election process or as nominees of their party's primary. The Seventeenth Amendment was ratified in 1913, with Connecticut's approval giving it the required three-fourths majority needed.
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Election frequency
The Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, passed in 1912 and ratified in 1913, established the direct election of senators by the people of their state. This altered the original mechanism, outlined in Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution, which provided for the appointment of senators by state legislatures.
Prior to the 17th Amendment, each state legislature chose its senators for a six-year term. This was contrasted with the House of Representatives, which was elected by popular vote. The original method had its advantages, including preserving the loyalty of citizens to their state. However, over time, legislative elections became dominated by the process of selecting senators, distracting voters from other pertinent issues.
As early as 1826, there were calls for direct popular elections of senators, but none of these resolutions succeeded. Disputes among state legislators often resulted in deadlocks, leaving Senate seats vacant for extended periods. By the late 19th century, discriminatory provisions in state constitutions had disenfranchised many Southern blacks and poor whites, resulting in a lack of political representation and de facto one-party rule in much of the region.
The 17th Amendment aimed to address these issues by empowering voters to directly elect their senators. It also provided for the governor to call special elections to fill Senate vacancies and allowed state legislatures to grant their governors temporary appointment powers until special elections could be held.
The direct election of senators has been in place since 1913, with Augustus Bacon of Georgia being the first senator elected under the 17th Amendment. This system marked a departure from the intentions of the framers of the Constitution, who envisioned a different election mechanism for senators.
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Frequently asked questions
The 17th Amendment changed a portion of Article I, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution, providing for the direct election of senators by the voters of the states.
The amendment aimed to reduce the influence of big business and special interests on the selection of senators. It also prevented vacancies or frequent turnover in the Senate caused by party wrangling or changes of party leadership at the state level.
The 17th Amendment was passed in 1911 by the Senate and approved by the House of Representatives in 1912. Connecticut's approval on April 8, 1913, gave the amendment the required three-fourths majority needed for ratification.
Some conservative political scholars in the late 20th century called for the repeal of the 17th Amendment, arguing that it undermined the balance of power between the federal government and the states. Sanford Levinson, for example, argues that legislatures should be able to restrict gubernatorial appointment authority to provide substantial benefits to the states.
