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.








