What bias did the founders demonstrate in their procedure for electing senators?

The Founders demonstrated a bias toward the interests of state governments in their procedure for electing Senators. Originally, before the 17th Amendment was ratified in 1913, Senators were not elected directly by the people but were chosen by state legislatures.

This method reflected the Founders' intention to ensure that the federal government represented both the interests of the people (House of Representatives, directly elected by citizens) and the interests of the states themselves (Senate, chosen by state legislatures). The indirect election of Senators was a deliberate design to give states a direct voice in the federal government and to prevent the federal government from becoming too centralized or detached from state concerns.

However, this method of election limited the direct influence of individual citizens on the selection of Senators, which some critics argued led to potential corruption or lack of accountability. The 17th Amendment shifted the process to direct election by the people, eliminating the state legislature's role in selecting Senators and aligning the election process for Senators more closely with the democratic principles of representative government.