Amendment 17 amends Article I Section 3 (not Section 4). The purpose of an Amendment is to modify the Constitution, potentially overriding any of its provisions, in this case, Article I Section 3. An Amendment can also modify a prior Amendment (Amendment 21 repealed Amendment 18). Some researchers have claimed Amendment 17 was never properly ratified. Also, all properly ratified Amendments are constitutional by default because they become part of the Constitution once ratified.
