U.S. senators were originally chosen by state legislatures, and this was changed to direct popular election by the Seventeenth Amendment.

Original selection method

  • Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution provided that each state’s two senators would be “chosen by the Legislature thereof” for six‑year terms.
  • In practice, this meant the two houses of each state legislature would vote to select senators, sometimes in joint session and sometimes via coordinated but separate votes.

Which amendment changed it?

  • The Seventeenth Amendment, ratified in 1913, replaced legislative selection with direct election of senators by the people of each state.
  • This amendment “superseded” the original Article I system and made the Senate’s selection method match that of the House, where members had always been chosen by popular vote.

Why the change happened

  • By the late 1800s, the legislative-election system was criticized for corruption, deadlocks in state legislatures, and long vacancies when lawmakers could not agree on a senator.
  • Progressive Era reformers pushed for more democratic accountability, leading to growing support for direct election and ultimately adoption of the Seventeenth Amendment.