U.S. Government

U.S. Congress

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The 2012 election left the power structure in Congress unchanged, with the Republican party controlling the House and the Democrats the Senate. Questions remain about whether the 113th Congress can overcome the deep ideological differences between the parties that led to so much legislative gridlock during the previous term.

A scaled model of the U.S.Capitol building is pictured in the Dirksen Senate building in Washington, February 26, 2013 (REUTERS/Jason Reed).

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The 100th Anniversary of the 17th Amendment (Direct Election of Senators): A Promise Unfulfilled?

May 24, 2013, Wendy J. Schiller and Charles Stewart III

May 31, 2013 marks the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the 17th Amendment, which ushered in direct elections of U.S. senators.  Wendy J. Schiller and Charles Stewart III suggest that the 17th Amendment has failed to deliver on its promise, and has produced a Senate that is even less responsive to voters than it was under the indirect election system.

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