Civics question 32 of 128
Who elects U.S. senators?
Official answer
- Citizens from their state
Source: official USCIS question list for the 2025 version of the civics test. This site is independent and not affiliated with USCIS.
Background
Citizens of the state elect its U.S. senators, voting statewide rather than by district. This has been true since the Seventeenth Amendment took effect in 1913. Under the original Constitution, state legislatures chose senators, and by the late 1800s that system had produced long vacancies when legislatures deadlocked, along with persistent accusations of corruption. Direct election was the reform that answered both complaints. Senate elections fall in even-numbered years, and because the terms are staggered, a state's two seats are usually contested in different years. When a seat opens between elections, most states let the governor appoint someone temporarily until a special election is held, though the rules differ from state to state.
This background section is written by US Citizenship Test Practice to explain the civics fact. It is not part of the USCIS question list, and the official answer above is the one to give at the interview.
Where this question sits
It is part of System of Government, inside the American Government section of the test.