The Senate was changed from 3 to 2 senators per state with the 17th Amendment , which was ratified in 1913. That amendment also changed how senators were chosen, moving from selection by state legislatures to direct election by voters.

What changed

  • Before 1913, each state had 2 senators in the U.S. Senate, not 3.
  • The 3-to-2 wording does not fit the U.S. Senate structure.
  • If you meant representation in Congress overall , the Senate has always been based on 2 per state since the Constitution was adopted, while the House changes by population.

Useful context

The 17th Amendment is the key historical change people usually mean when asking about “senators,” because it shifted how senators were chosen , not the number of senators each state gets.

TL;DR: It was never 3 senators per state in the U.S. Senate; it has been 2 per state since 1789, and the big change in 1913 was direct election under the 17th Amendment.