The
Seventeenth Amendment (
Amendment XVII) to the
United States Constitution established the popular election of
United States Senators by the people of the states. The amendment supersedes Article I, §3, Clauses 1 and 2 of the Constitution, under which senators were elected by
state legislatures. It also alters the procedure for filling vacancies in the Senate, allowing for state legislatures to permit their governors to make temporary appointments until a
special election can be held.