Thirty Years Old

The principle for this Constitution Monday comes from Article I.3.3, "In order to qualify as a Senator, a person must have reached the age of 30 years by the time that person is sworn into office." With this provision, the Founders gave to the people the right to be represented in the Senate by a person at least 30 years old. The Founders felt that Senators should be more mature than Representatives because they had additional responsibilities and power of office. In requiring more maturity, the Founders followed counsel given in Deuteronomy 1:13, which tells the people to elect "wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you."