<P> The Seventeenth Amendment ( Amendment XVII ) to the United States Constitution established the popular election of United States Senators by the people of the states . The amendment supersedes Article I , § 3 , Clauses 1 and 2 of the Constitution , under which senators were elected by state legislatures . It also alters the procedure for filling vacancies in the Senate , allowing for state legislatures to permit their governors to make temporary appointments until a special election can be held . </P>
<P> The Seventeenth Amendment ( Amendment XVII ) to the United States Constitution established the popular election of United States Senators by the people of the states . The amendment supersedes Article I , § 3 , Clauses 1 and 2 of the Constitution , under which senators were elected by state legislatures . It also alters the procedure for filling vacancies in the Senate , allowing for state legislatures to permit their governors to make temporary appointments until a special election can be held . </P>
the constitution originally called for election of senators by
the constitution originally called for election of senators by
state legislatures
state legislatures