A NOT-SO-DISTANT MIRROR - THE 17TH AMENDMENT AND CONGRESSIONAL CHANGE

At the beginning of the century, the Constitution was amended to permi t direct election of U.S. senators. We examine the shift to determine the extent to which an electoral reform can result in meaningful chang e. Variables are analyzed that tap the Senate's membership and respons iveness before and after direct election, and House data are employed to control for history effects. The results indicate that changing the mode of senatorial selection did indeed lead to alterations in the co mposition and sensitivity of the Senate, a finding that should encoura ge caution regarding the electoral reforms being advocated at the end of the century.