A movement exists that calls for the repeal of the Seventeenth Amendment, generally opposing it on grounds of federalism (States' rights) and because of the Amendment taking away too much power from the states. Proponents of repeal have also accused Senators of being hostage to special interests.
Article 1, Section 3 of the Constitution reads: "The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the legislature thereof...."
The 17th Amendment altered the language to read: "The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof...." By substituting the words "elected" and "people" for "chosen" and "legislature," the 17th Amendment significantly shifted the delicate balance of power between state and national government. The drafters of the Constitution as composed in 1787, considered this balance fundamental to the perpetuation of our new republic.
James Madison, the Father of the Constitution, wrote often in The Federalist of the sacred sovereignty of the states. In Federalist No. 39, he wrote, "Each state, in ratifying the constitution, is considered as a sovereign body, independent of all others, and only to be bound by its own voluntary act."
You decide.
