17th Amendment

The Seventeenth Amendment (Amendment XVII) to the United States Constitution established the direct election of United States senators in each state. The amendment supersedes Article I, Section 3, Clauses 1 and 2 of the Constitution, under which senators were appointed by state legislatures.

Proposed and ratified in the early days of the “Progressive era.

Foisted on a gullible public as being so much more “democratic” than the manner designated in the Constitution, it was a boondoggle for the special interests who wanted control over the Senators.

Under the original method, Senators were selected by a vote from the entire membership of a state legislature, a formidable task for special interests to control the outcome. However, a single statewide election, it was much easier to select and fund a favored candidate who would be beholden to them.

Pass age of the 17^th Amendment was a travesty to the integrity and purpose of the U.S. Senate.