America seems to be electing its top government officials from nursing homes: In fact, the two presidential candidates this fall are 77 and 81 years old.
Similarly, our current elected officials have served in their offices for decades, excluding other perspectives from our political system. Age and term limits are key to ensuring our country continues to progress over time.
Are age restrictions discriminatory? Emphatically, no.
Just as there is a minimum age requirement for public office, there should be a maximum age limit for the US government. Cognitive functioning goes up and down. I wouldn't trust a teenager to hold public office any more than I would trust an 80-year-old. They are simply not qualified for the job.
For example, at a campaign rally in South Carolina, former President Donald Trump appeared to mistake Republican opponent Nikki Haley for Democratic politician Nancy Pelosi.
President Trump claimed that Secretary Haley was in charge of security during the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. According to The New York Times, President Trump claimed that Secretary Haley failed to defend the Capitol and declined to call for National Guard assistance.
Haley is not in office in 2021, and Pelosi was Speaker of the House at the time, a position that carries no authority over the National Guard, so it's unclear to me who Trump was referring to.
Cognitive decline isn't just plaguing Republicans: President Joe Biden has made similarly embarrassing gaffes, such as mistaking Mexico for Egypt in a February interview with Time magazine.
Despite countless public humiliations, for some reason, our elected officials still consider themselves worthy of holding such high positions of power.
In addition, our government disproportionately represents our people across generations, placing greater emphasis on the voting rights of older generations.
In a TikTok interview with Capitol Hill correspondent Ashley Banks, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) was asked if she thinks Sen. Bernie Sanders is too old to run for another term as a U.S. senator.[T]His issue is not one of age, it's one of leadership,” AOC said.
While I think her argument has some validity, there's one issue AOC didn't address: Sanders spans three generations in politics, and would be the fourth if he's re-elected this fall. In Sanders' case, the concern isn't necessarily his age, but the number of terms he's served.
Leaders like Senator Sanders and Senator Mitch McConnell have been in politics for over 40 years each. No one person should be influencing our policies and decisions for that long. Our government is supposed to be for the people, by the people, and by continuing to put the same group in power we are preventing “the people” from having a say.
The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution limits the President to two terms because we are a democracy, not a dictatorship. Why do Congressional leaders rank above the President? If our leaders cannot serve more than two terms, then why should other elected officials not serve either?
According to Open Secrets, the 2022 midterm elections saw a 94.5% chance of House reelection and a 100% chance of Senate reelection.
Because our voting system is more like a popular vote than a truly democratic vote, these candidates will continue to be elected as long as they remain in the race. Of course, Americans will vote for the choice with which they are most familiar.
I'm not advocating filling our government with teenagers, but it seems foolish to put people in office who may bring decades-old ideas to the table. Fresh voices and ideas are needed forever in Washington, and the only way to get that is with age and term limits.
True democracy cannot function if we keep the same legislators in office until they are in their 70s and 80s. That is gerontocracy.
