The 17th Amendment changed the method of selecting US Senators from state legislature appointments to popular election.
Said by Rep. Keith Self, Checked Updated
- Sources
- 4 support
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 95%
The Joe Rogan ExperienceNov 6, 2026
Multiple primary sources (National Archives, Senate.gov, Congressional Constitution Center essay, and a Project MUSE book on the topic) state that the Constitution originally provided for senators to be chosen by state legislatures and that the 17th Amendment, ratified in 1913, changed this to direct popular election.
What was said
… And I cannot express to you how broken the Senate and Congress are. Like, they don't go against special interests. So why is that? Senator spends 90% of their time fundraising? A senator spends 90%, 90, yeaah. And, uhm, you know, in the original founding, the Constitution senators weren't directly elected. They were appointed by state legislators. So you voted for your state legislator, and then they would appoint a senator. So there wasn't there was actually a little bit of a buffer, and you you know, you had to rely on your state legislator. …
The Joe Rogan Experience · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. The National Archives states that the 17th Amendment, ratified April 8, 1913, allowed voters to cast direct votes for U.S. senators, and that prior to its passage senators were chosen by state legislatures.[1]
Supports. The Senate.gov origins essay states that Article I, section 3 as written provided for election of senators by state legislatures, and that direct election of senators came with the Seventeenth Amendment.[2]
Supports. The Congressional Constitution Center essay describes state legislatures electing senators before the amendment, and notes that many states had moved toward popular nomination before ratification.[3]
Supports. A Project MUSE book description states that from 1789 to 1913 senators were chosen by state legislators, and that the Seventeenth Amendment replaced this with a direct public vote in 1913.[4]
Sources
4 sources: 4 primary
- 117th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of ...archives.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 2Landmark Legislation: Seventeenth Amendmentsenate.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 3Historical Background on Popular Election of Senators ...constitution.congress.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 4Project MUSE - Electing the Senatemuse.jhu.edu · primary source · cited for: supports
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