Introduction

An age-old question: how old is too old to serve as an elected official? While the Constitution requires that a person be at least 35, 30, and 25 years of age to serve as president, in the Senate, and in the House of Representatives, respectively, no such upper limit exists for any of the three positions. Over two-thirds of the signers of the U.S. Constitution were under 50 years old – however, this stands in stark contrast to the present day, where the “median age of senators is 65, with 16 of them 75 years of age or older and four topping 80 years of age” (The Hill).

Axios recently reported that Americans are overwhelmingly in favor of old age-related restrictions for elected officials, with 77% of those surveyed saying there should be “maximum age limits for elected officials.” Supporters of these restrictions argue that such positions are demanding, and that old age often limits an official’s ability to do his or her job effectively. Moreover, the prevalence of “dementia and other age-related cognitive disease” increases with age, and it is often hard to predict the onset or impact of such issues (The Hill). However, opponents of such types of restrictions state that political and leadership experience is valuable to the institutions of government, and that voters have opportunities to limit the service of their elected officials through the ballot box. Those opposed also point to the difficulty in enacting such restrictions – particularly a formal age limit – as such a change would require a Constitutional amendment (Pew Research Center).

So, what should be done? This deliberation includes twelve video clips, three articles, and several educational activities to guide students through a review of the debate over whether or not there should be old age-related restrictions for elected officials. After a careful review of multiple perspectives, students will determine whether there should be such restrictions on elected officials and be presented with several optional extensions to take an active role in the debate.

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Objectives and Outcomes

• Students will be able to describe key vocabulary terms and concepts associated with the debate surrounding old age-related restrictions for elected officials.
  
  
• Students will be able to identify and explain aspects of the debate regarding old age-related restrictions for elected officials, including those arguments related to health, cognitive acuity, experience, and political processes, among others.
  
  
• Students will be able to evaluate arguments related to old age-related restrictions for elected officials and formulate an opinion on this question.