The 17th Amendment definitely shifted the balance of power. The real question is whether it weakened federalism more than it strengthened democratic accountability.

Ohtis

Few Americans know that before 1913, state legislatures, not voters, appointed US senators. The 17th Amendment changed this but harmed the original federalist structure.

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Politics_And_Law

By Michael Dioguardi
> Few Americans know that before 1913, state legislatures, not voters, appointed US senators. The 17th Amendment changed this but harmed the original federalist structure.