North Dakota voters want to ban lawmakers from serving in Congress past age 81


Voters in North Dakota overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure setting an age limit for politicians running for U.S. Congress, amid a broader national debate over aging politicians, including the two oldest major-party presidential nominees in history.

The measure, which amends the state constitution, bars anyone from running or being appointed to a congressional seat if they turn 81 in the year prior to the end of their term.

Among currently serving politicians, those 81 or older include President Joe Biden, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Jim Clyburn, among others.

Jared Hendrix, a Republican candidate for the state House who championed the ballot measure, told The New York Times ahead of Tuesday’s vote, “Most people think it’s common sense that politicians should retire at some point.”

As it stands, the amendment would not affect any of North Dakota’s federal lawmakers, the oldest of whom is 67. The measure is expected to run up against a 1995 Supreme Court ruling that states cannot impose restrictions such as term limits on their representatives in the federal government beyond what the U.S. Constitution lays out.

But the measure passed amid considerable voter concern about the two leading presidential candidates’ ages and cognitive abilities. Biden is 81, and if re-elected, he would be 86 by the end of his second term. Presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump turns 78 on Friday, and if re-elected, would be 82 years old when he leaves office.

The U.S. Constitution sets the minimum age threshold for senators at 30, House representatives at 25, and presidents at 35. But there are no maximum age restrictions and no term limits for Congress, and many senators and representatives have served in Congress for decades.

Incidents involving older members of Congress have fueled debate about age limits, though it remains a deeply divisive and often taboo subject in politics and media coverage. Last year, several episodes involving Sen. Dianne Feinstein, then 90 years old, and McConnell, then 81, fueled fierce speculation about their health and their ability to do their jobs.

Feinstein died in September as the oldest sitting senator. McConnell is due to step down as Senate leader in November, though he has said he will serve out his term until 2027, by which time he will be just shy of his 85th birthday.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com

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