Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry earlier this week supported a resolution that would repeal the 17th Amendment and strip American voters of their right to elect U.S. Senators.
The joint resolution, introduced by Texas Congressman Keith Self, aims to “restore the Founders’ original vision for the United States” and return the selection of senators to state legislatures.
“Our Founding Fathers designed the Senate to protect state sovereignty and act as a check on federal overreach. If senators are supposed to represent their states, then the states should choose them. Repealing the 17th Amendment will restore that constitutional balance and make the Senate more accountable to the people of Texas and every other state in the union,” Self said.
ELI5 does this even matter? The state legislators are elected by the people, why does it matter if those reps are electing the federal senators or the the people directly? Its not like you’re going to get a bunch of lords nominated arbitrarily by the
KingPresident?State legislatures can be highly gerrymandered, and it would also eliminate primaries for the senate candidates which which means senators would functionally become whoever the party leadership wants per state.
Thanks! Given the system the US uses for party primaries and the current climate of public manipulation through captured mainstream and social media, aren’t those things already problems? Would it be any worse than it already is?
Yes. And yes.