Supporters of the 17th Amendment providing for the direct election of senators may not have envisioned what’s at stake in next month’s runoff elections in Georgia. Outside special interests are pouring money into Georgia and have made energetic efforts to register new voters. The outcome will determine which party controls the Senate, but what about the interests of the state of Georgia?

The states amended the Constitution in 1913 to provide for the direct election of senators. Before that, the Constitution provided that each state legislature would appoint the state’s senators.

The House and Senate Have Different Constituencies