House Bill Proposal Allows Lawmakers to Choose US Senate Candidates

A bill proposed by Tennessee Representative Ryan Williams would allow state lawmakers to choose candidates for United States Senate seats.

Williams said House Bill 0021 allows legislatures from both parties to nominate a candidate of their choosing to be elected by the people.

“U.S. Senators were elected entirely by state legislatures [before 1913],” Williams said. “This was decided among our delegates in the Constitutional Convention. They agreed that the best way for the state’s rights and the identities of each individual state be represented if the legislatures chose the U.S. Senators. That’s why they serve on six-year terms while our House members would be elected by the people every two years.”

Candidates are currently chosen through primary races by either party in which registered voters can help determine which candidate will represent them during general elections.

Williams said the proposed bill wouldn’t take away citizens’ rights to vote as they would still be able to vote on the candidates chosen by their elected representatives.

“When you or I call our U.S. Senator, we call a 202 area code number, we leave a message hoping somebody will call us back and we’re heard,” Williams said. “The idea of this is we still allow members of the public to vote in the general election either for an Independent candidate, or the Democratic or Republican nominee. So the people’s voice is still heard in its finality.”

Williams said the bill could also lead to term limits for senate and house positions, an issue that he has spoken with former elected officials about from both sides of the aisle.

“It’s been extremely important to many of the constituents in my district and to some of my fellow colleagues,” Williams said. “That’s part of the reason for doing it. But it’s definitely a discussion we think is worth having. I’ve had this discussion with former (Tennessee House) minority leader Craig Fitzhugh, the former Speaker of the House, (Former) Governor Bill Haslam, U.S. Congressman Mark Green… and they all feel like we should have a discussion.”

The U.S. 17th Amendment was passed in 1912 by Congress and ratified in 1913, allowing voters to cast direct votes for their U.S. Senators.

House Bill 0021 was appointed to the State Elections and Campaign Finance Subcommittee Jan. 22, which next meets on Wednesday.