Requirements for serving in the state legislature. The state constitution requires that a representative or senator in the state legislature be at least 25 years old, be a United States citizen, and reside in the district from which he or she is elected for at least twelve months prior to being elected. Referendum L lowers the age requirement to 21. The existing age requirement has been in the state constitution, unchanged, since 1876.
Further info at Colorado Ballot – The Qualifications for Serving in the State Legislature Initiative.
Arguments Against
Younger candidates may lack the maturity and real-world experience to be effective legislators. The policy decisions and political pressures that legislators face are best handled by people with more life experience. Lack of experience could hinder a young legislator’s ability to represent a constituency effectively.
The current age requirement strikes an appropriate balance between youth and experience. It has been the standard for Colorado since the enactment of the state constitution. Further, it aligns with the age requirement for service in the United States House of Representatives and many other state senates.
Arguments For
Excluding 21- to 24-year-olds from seeking election to the state legislature is an unnecessary restriction. A 21-year-old is considered an adult under the law. Voters can judge whether a candidate possesses the maturity, ability, and competence to hold political office without regard to age.
Allowing 21-year-olds to run for office encourages civic engagement of young people. By opening access to the ballot to a wider group of potential legislative candidates, young candidates and their supporters can offer a new and different perspective on issues that come before the state legislature. Additionally, young legislators can encourage legislative debate on and elevate issues important to young adults.
Vote Yes
This is a reasonable question to bring to the voters and a candidate at age 21 has been an adult for 3 years, can vote, and has usually been working and/or in college or the military for those 3 years. If a candidate is “too young,” the voters can make that determination at the ballot box. Vote Yes.
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Perhaps the more relevant point is, this won’t really matter. With the minimum of exceptions, no one under, say, 30 is going to get elected. Because voter ageism will outstrip any legal ageism on this. As such, why not drop it to 18. Shouldn’t anyone who can vote also be able to run for office, and let the voters decide if they are qualified?
.
2 possibilities occur to me:
either they are a celeb like Hanna Montana,
or they are named Bil Armstrong. The 4th.
Maybe we don’t need any minimum, as long as we have term limits.
.
In a small district where college students form a majority, you could get yourself popular enough to get elected. I believe it’s happened before. (Perhaps as mayor rather than state rep, but similar.)
Of course, the risk of that happening for a state house seat is limited because of the limited power of a single legislator and having representation for young voters might be a good thing. Granted, most student body presidents are upperclassmen, and likely 21.
…Doug Bruce may have been way over the minimum age chronologically, but his emotional age is stuck at around that of a 15 year old.
Sometimes, age is just a number.
is that the drinking age is 21. That means 18 year-old legislators would have to sit through all that crap for three years stone cold sober. That is cruel and inhuman punishment, in violation of the U.S. Constitution.
Because if you have to vote for these people, you should be able to have a drink afterwards.
if they can’t liquor you up?
so the oil lobbyists can get by with those until you turn 21, I guess.