Should the Seventeenth Amendment be Repealed?
Many Americans are unaware that U. S. senators
were originally appointed by the state legislature. However, the Seventeenth Amendment
changed that so the state’s citizens could vote for their senator. According to
this article, some politicians and judges believe this lessened the States’
powers which affected federalism and that the Seventeenth Amendment should be
repealed. On the other hand, the article states “Repealing the Seventeenth Amendment would reduce the benefits of
federalism, as it would turn state legislatures into electoral colleges for
U.S. Senators.” It was necessary for the Seventeenth Amendment to be implemented
to expand democracy. National Parties make national issues very important in
state elections.
The Seventeenth Amendment increased
the public’s opportunity to participate in elections and impact the law by
selecting a senator with their policy preference. I personally believe that the
Seventeenth Amendment strengthens federalism and allows citizens to be
connected to the local, state, and national government. I believe this is
cooperative federalism in which the national and state government share powers.
http://themonkeycage.org/2013/05/27/why-did-state-legislators-give-away-their-power-to-pick-senators-on-the-origins-of-the-17th-amendment/
I agree that the implementation of the 17th amendment expands democracy, but with the statistics of low voter turnout at the state and local level, do you think that it is worth taking away the power from the state legislature that are filled with people who will put in the work to understand the candidates and the issues?
ReplyDeleteThe 17th amendment may expand ideas of federalism but it strengthens the national government and takes power away from states. Without the 17th amendment, state legislatures are able to vote for senators and it creates a system of checks and balances that the states can have on the senate. The public are still able to participate in local elections and vote for the state legislators who in turn will vote for senators.
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