Ok... we've talked about the voting age. How about the age to hold elected office?

[yovimi]

We have talked a lot, and devoted an awful lot of time to talking of lowering the voting age.

I want to pose a related question, that although not as important, it is closely related to this subject:

What should be minimum age to hold elected office?

I know for a fact, that in certain states you can run for the state legislature at 18. In the U.S. House of Representatives, the minimum age is 25. In the U.S. Senate its 30, and for President its 35.

Here in Puerto Rico, the minimum age is 18 for city mayor and city council member, 25 for state representative, 30 for state senator, and 35 for governor. However, there have been previous talks of reducing all that to 18.

[SciVille]

I heard something a couple of years ago about some town that elected a 19-year-old mayor. Don't remember where it was, though.

[greaternyrania]

NYRA worked on this in NC for a while. The age should be abolished. Voters can decide the proper age at the polls.

[GirlDiscontinued]

I think that if you have the capbility to run a campaign and be and get yourself legitimately elected, you're old enough to hold the position. Barring total and complete ridiculousness like parents running a campign for their toddler, there shouldn't be any age requirement.

[Galen]

I agree, no age requirement. Hell, some of the greatest rulers in history were teens or even preteens!

However, a certain amount of knowledge is required to run a country. I'd be in favor of competency test for ALL elected officials of any age.... but that would make too much sense, so it'll never happen.


-Galen

[XavierAKadafi]

Agreed, Galen..

[KPalicz]

For all candidates? Are you crazy? The President would never allow that. Unless of course it was implemented after this election. Not fair to disqualify a sitting president and all.

[yovimi]

For all candidates? Are you crazy? The President would never allow that. Unless of course it was implemented after this election. Not fair to disqualify a sitting president and all.

:lol:

[brianc2008]

The honest answer is that I don't know. For a long time, I thought 18, and in fact I know of a petition in PetitionsOnline.com that advocates this.

But it may be possible that younger people could run a credible campaign. Whether the media will take it seriously is another matter entirely.

[XavierAKadafi]

They won't..

Look at the reason kerry's the democratic candidate.

[M29]

Federally in the US, to be in the House it’s 25, in the Senate 30, and to be President, it’s 35.

At least that’s what I read.

[Kev]

As always. The capability of running for and holding public office cannot and should not be judged on a matter of age, but on a matter of maturity. I believe that all canidates should demonstrate knowledge on the basic concepts of the constitution in order to prove that they are mentally capable of holding office. This may sound like I am discriminating against stupid people and people who know nothing about politics but if they are so, then this isn't a place they need to be. Who wants to be ruled by an idiot?

[yovimi]

Who wants to be ruled by an idiot?

Well, the United States is currently not only ruled by an idiot, but an idiot who might just get a second term....

[Kev]

I agree it's all those damn uneducated voters who vote for Bush because his ears are "big and sexy" or Kerry because "he has cute hair" or even those voters who base thier choice on television ads. I think that there are enough people in america that if all those who supported independent canidates "threw away thier vote" and voted for an unlikely winner a regime change would be unavoidable. I do not believe that standing up for what you believe in even if you are alone is "throwing away your vote" It is moral integrity.

Don't vote for the less of two evils vote for the Good.

[XavierAKadafi]

Bush may be an idiot.

As Kerry may be one as well.

However, We know what's to come with Bush... I don't even think Kerry knows what he'd do if he were elected.

[Lana_Moon]

Oh my god, if Bush gets a second term, we're all gonna die. I'm serious, he's going to ruin america. And the rest of the world will go down with us. Kerry may be an idiot, but he's at least a democratic idiot, and he'll do things better than Bush. Guaranteed. I don't think it's possible to do worse than Bush.
Now, if Ralph Nader was to win, I would totally dance for joy, but that's not gonna happen. If things had gone a certain way at the beginning of the election year, maybe, but now? No way.

But on the issue of age limits to be in office, there shouldn't be any! I mean, if a kid wants to try, let them, and if they manage to win, then I think they're totally qualified! Unless the parents are running the campaign or some stupid thing, of course.

[Kev]

Ralph Nader is a Communist at heart.

If he wins we will all go to hell.

Bush is still better than Nader.

Micheal Badernick is the ONLY choice for people in thier right minds.

(shit, I shouldn't scare the newbies like that)

[Crazed123]

David Cobb should be elected or maybe, just maybe Dennis Kucinich would run as an idependent candidate and he'd be elected. Pity he wasn't the Democratic nominee. It was because the media blindwalled him.

[Fabuluke]

Hmm...I really wish that Kucinich were still running. I -would- vote for Nader, but the thing is, he has no chance of winning! At least John Kerry will be better than Bush (hopefully) and if he sucks or if Bush is re-elected, remember that US presidents can only serve two terms! ^_^