North Dakota Voters Back Referendum for Congressional Age Limits

Facts

• North Dakota is slated to implement an age limit for members of Congress after the state’s voters on Tuesday approved a ballot measure that would prohibit anyone from being appointed or elected to Congress after a certain age.¹
• The measure creates a new article in the state’s Constitution called “Congressional Age Limits,” which would prevent people who turn 81 in the calendar year before the end of their term from serving in the US House of Representatives or US Senate.²
• The proposed amendment is expected to be contested in court because it goes against a 1995 Supreme Court ruling that declared age restrictions for members of Congress unconstitutional.³
• However, the initiative is to take effect immediately, pending election certification, and will be North Dakota law until it is challenged, according to David Schultz of Hamline University and the University of Minnesota.³
• Constitutionality aside, the age limit measure passed with more than 60% of the vote, and a Pew Research Center study reports that 80% of Americans support age limits for federal elected officials.⁴
• North Dakota is now the first state to impose an age restriction for its congressional delegation, and lawmakers estimate that the state could spend upwards of $1M to fight lawsuits against the amendment.⁵

Sources: ¹The Hill, ²FOX News, ³Associated Press, ⁴USA Today and ⁵The Bismarck Tribune.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by The Daily Nebraskan. In these polarizing times, it is hard to get an overwhelming majority of Americans to agree on anything. However, elections and polls show that most people support age limits for elected officials, and for good reason. American politicians are far older than the average citizen, and they continually demonstrate that they are out of touch with their constituents. This, along with the inevitable cognitive decline that comes with age, exemplifies why the US needs to implement age limits for elected officials.
• Narrative B, as provided by Realclearpolitics. While age limits for politicians may seem like a good idea at first glance, it's a foolish proposal that wouldn't help the US in any way. Wisdom and experience are valuable assets that come with age, and casting aside officials strictly based on their birth date would deprive voters of popular leaders who have effectively represented them. Age caps also neglect individuality and the evolution of modern medicine and lifespans. Painting all people over a certain age with a broad brush violates their equal protection and doesn’t have any tangible benefits.

Predictions