What is Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution?
{{US Constitution article series}} [[Ratification|Ratified]] on April 8, 1913, the '''Seventeenth Amendment''' ('''Amendment XVII''') to the [[United States Constitution]] changed the method by which [[United States Senator]]s were elected.<ref name=OurDocs>{{cite web |url=http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=58 |title=17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913) |publisher=OurDocuments.gov |access-date=6 March 2016}}</ref> For the first 125 years [[Article One of the United States Constitution#Section_3:_Senate|Article 1, section 3]] of the Constitution required US Senators to be elected by the [[US states|state]] [[legislature]]s.<ref name=NARA>{{cite web |url=https://www.archives.gov/legislative/features/17th-amendment/ |title=17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators |publisher=The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration |access-date=6 March 2016}}</ref> A number of problems in the [[United States Senate]] created the need to change how Senators were elected from indirect to [[direct election]]s by the people of the United States.<ref name=FindLaw>{{cite web |url=http://constitution.findlaw.com/amendment17.html |title=Seventeenth Amendment - Popular Election of Senators|publisher=FindLaw |access-date=6 March 2016}}</ref> == Text == {{quote|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 con