17th Amendment
Seventeenth Amendment
Ratified April 8, 1913
Verbatim
Exact text as ratified.
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 amendment shall not be so construed as to affect the election or term of any Senator chosen before it becomes valid as part of the Constitution.
Plain English
A translation that drops archaic words but keeps the meaning, including the parts courts still argue about.
The U.S. Senate has two senators from each state, elected by the people of that state for six-year terms. Each senator has one vote. The voters who elect senators must meet the same qualifications required to vote for the larger house of their state legislature.
When a Senate seat becomes vacant, the state's governor calls a special election to fill it. State legislatures may also authorize their governors to make temporary appointments until a special election can be held.
This amendment does not affect senators who were already in office when it was ratified.
About
The Seventeenth Amendment was ratified on April 8, 1913, six weeks after the Sixteenth. Before this amendment, U.S. Senators were chosen by state legislatures, not by the people directly. The original Constitution (Article I, Section 3) gave state legislatures the power to elect senators, on the theory that this would give states a direct voice in the federal government and balance the popular election of the House of Representatives.
Over the course of the 19th century, the legislative-election system produced increasing problems: corruption (with senate seats sometimes effectively bought through bribery of state legislators), deadlock (with state legislatures unable to agree on a senator and seats sitting vacant for years), and a growing democratic argument that senators should be accountable directly to voters. Several states had already adopted unofficial popular votes, with state legislatures formally ratifying the popular winner. The Seventeenth Amendment made direct popular election the formal requirement nationwide.