
Congressman Andy Harris joins push to repeal 17th Amendment
The 17th Amendment, ratified in 1913, allows for the direct popular election of U.S. senators by the public as opposed to the original process of state legislatures electing them. The amendment repeats the first paragraph of Article 1, section 3 of the Constitution and replaces the phrase “chosen by the Legislature thereof” with “elected by the people thereof.” The amendment also allows a state’s governor to appoint a senator in the event of a vacancy, with approval from the state legislature, until the next general election.