ss.8.CG.2.7 Qualifications of Office (Assessment #s)

Which of the following correctly identifies a constitutional qualification

to serve as president of the United States?

• at least 25 years old 

• at least 30 years old 

• at least 35 years old 

• at least 40 years old 

Answer explanation

Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 of the U.S. Constitution requires that a president be at least 35 years old.

A is Incorrect- This requirement does not apply to the president. The U.S. Constitution states that one must be at least 25 years old to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.

B is Incorrect- This requirement does not apply to the president. The U.S. Constitution states that one must be at least 30 years old to serve in the U.S. Senate.

D is Incorrect- No offices under the U.S. Constitution require an age of 40 to serve.

Which is a constitutional requirement to run for Congress?

• U.S. permanent resident 

• at least 25 years old 

• at least 30 years old 

• U.S. citizen 

Answer explanation

The U.S. Constitution requires that only citizens may hold public office. However, there are differences in the minimum age requirement to serve in either the House of Representatives (25 years) or the Senate (30 years).

A is Incorrect-Only U.S. citizens may hold public office in the United States. Permanent residents are not U.S. citizens.

B is Incorrect-This requirement does not apply to Congress as a whole. One may be at least 25 years old to serve in the U.S. House of 

Representatives but not in the U.S. Senate.

C is Incorrect-This requirement does not apply to Congress as a whole. One need not be at least 30 years old to serve in the U.S. House of 

Representatives although the minimum age of 30 years is required to serve in the U.S. Senate.

This excerpt is from the Florida Constitution. 

Must be an elector not less than thirty years of age who has resided in the state for the preceding seven years. … No person who has, or but for resignation would have, served… for more than six years in two consecutive terms shall be elected.

Based on the qualifications listed in this excerpt, what political office is being described?

• mayor 

• governor 

• U.S. president 

• state legislator 

Answer explanation

To seek the office of governor, one must be at least 30 years old, be an elector, and have lived in the state for at least seven years, according to the Florida Constitution.

A is Incorrect- Qualifications for a local office, such as mayor, are determined by the local government within their local charter.

C is Incorrect- The constitutional qualifications to seek and be elected U.S. president are outlined in the U.S. Constitution and not the Florida Constitution.

D is Incorrect- While the qualifications for state legislators are found within the Florida 

Constitution, they are different from this excerpt. Florida legislators must be at least 21 years old, live in the district they are running to represent, and live in the state for at least 2 years before the election.

After serving as a U.S. Senator, Laura decided to run for governor of Florida. Steve, Laura’s opponent, claims in court that Laura is not qualified to run. A judge rules in Steve’s favor. 

Which statement is the best explanation for why Steve won the lawsuit?

• Laura has never owned land in Florida.

• Laura is not yet forty years old.

• Laura is not a Florida 

  resident.

• Laura has never voted. 

Answer explanation

The question does not give any information as to where Laura lives, but the judge ruled she was not qualified. Candidates for governor in Florida must have resided in Florida for at least seven years, suggesting that she has not met that requirement.

A is Incorrect- Owning land, whether in Florida or elsewhere, is not a requirement to serve as governor of Florida.

B is Incorrect- Both U.S. Senators and Florida governors have the same minimum age requirement of 30. If Laura has served as a U.S. Senator that means that Laura is at least 30 years old which means that Laura meets the age minimum to serve as Florida governor.

D is Incorrect- Candidates must be eligible to vote in the state where they are running for office, including Florida. However, they need not have voted in any election to be eligible to run for office.

This scenario describes a political issue.

Florida Governor Barnhardt has been governor for the last eight years. Governor Barnhardt declares that he wishes to run for another term and plans to do so for the next election.

Which statement best explains why Governor Barnhardt’s opponents claim that he is not qualified to run for governor?

• The Florida Constitution requires candidates to be political party members.

• The Florida Constitution limits governors to two consecutive terms.

• The Florida Constitution requires a governor to be a state resident.

• The Florida Constitution limits candidates to one term.

Answer explanation

The 1968 Florida Constitution limits governors to two consecutive terms; Barnhardt has already served two consecutive terms.

A is Incorrect – Party membership is not a required qualification to run for or serve in office.

C is Incorrect – This statement is true, however, as the sitting governor, Barnhardt would already be a state resident.

D is Incorrect – Candidates can run in as many elections as they want; the limit is on the number of consecutive terms they can serve.

Why must members of the Florida Legislature be residents of the district they are elected to represent?

• to guarantee responsibility for tax cuts

• to ensure appropriate 

  payment of taxes

• to promote familiarity with voter concerns

• to guarantee strong voter registration rates

Answer explanation

In a representative government such as a constitutional republic, elected officials are selected to make decisions on behalf of the people. By living in the district a legislator is elected to represent, that official may be more knowledgeable and responsive to the needs of the voters in that area.

A is Incorrect- Members of the Florida Legislature may or may not support the idea of tax cuts.

B is Incorrect- Tax oversight falls under the responsibilities of the Florida Department of Revenue and county officials, not the Florida Legislature.

D is Incorrect- There is not a direct connection that can be made between voter registration rates and the residency of candidates in an election.

This table shows the biographies of two candidates running for governor of Florida. 

 According to this biographical information, for which reason is Candidate A

NOT qualified to run for governor of Florida?

• Candidate A is not old 

  enough.

• Candidate A was not born in Florida.

• Candidate A does not have a law degree.

• Candidate A has not lived in Florida long enough.

Answer explanation

To be qualified to be a governor in Florida, you must have lived in the state for the last seven years. Candidate A has only resided in Florida for the last 2 years which makes them not qualified to run.

A is Incorrect- The minimum age requirement for running for governor in the state of Florida is 30, and Candidate A meets this requirement at 44.

B is Incorrect- One does not have to be born in the state of Florida in order to one day become the governor. They just need to have lived in the state over the last seven years.

C is Incorrect- One does not need a law degree to run for governor of Florida.

This excerpt is from a historical document. 

In a free republic, although all laws are derived from the consent of the people, yet the people do not declare their consent by themselves in person, but by representatives, chosen by them, who are supposed to know the minds of their constituents, and to be possessed of integrity to declare this mind. 

Which constitutional qualification required to hold political office addresses the concern voiced in this excerpt?

• Representatives 

  must be 

  natural-born 

  citizens.

• Representatives 

  must meet an age requirement.

• Representatives 

  must have limited terms in office.

• Representatives 

  must reside in the state they are 

  elected to 

  represent.

Answer explanation

The concern of the Anti-Federalists, voiced in Brutus 1, is that representatives should reside in the state they are elected to represent. This close proximity with their constituents through smaller congressional districts would promote representatives’ familiarity with voter concerns.

A is Incorrect– While there are constitutional qualifications on citizenship, only the president and vice president must be natural-born citizens. Also, citizenship is not related to the concern voiced in this excerpt.

B is Incorrect– While there are constitutional qualifications related to age requirements for the legislative and executive branches, age is not related to the concern voiced in this excerpt. Based on this concern, representatives should have proximity to their constituents.

C is Incorrect– While there are constitutional limits on terms for the president, the legislative branch does not have a limit on how many terms senators and representatives can serve. Once a senator has served their six-year term, they can run again repeatedly, same for representatives at the end of their two-year term. Also, term limits are not the focus of this excerpt, proximity to constituents is.

This chart describes the constitutional qualifications to become a member of Congress. 

What does this chart suggest about expectations the authors of the Constitution may have had for members of the U.S. Senate?

• More experienced individuals in the Senate would serve as a check on the House.

• More time spent in the state would make senators more popular with citizens.

• Senators would be more likely to serve as representatives first.

• Senators would have more power than members of the House.

Answer explanation

The Framers structured the qualifications for Congress to ensure that senators had a better voice of reason in age and citizenship.

B is Incorrect- While senators had a longer residency requirement, this was intended to support and encourage experience rather than popularity. At the same time, senators were originally appointed and not elected.

C is Incorrect- This was not necessarily a consideration of the authors of the Constitution, as they viewed each house as distinct, and senators were not necessarily expected nor required to serve in the House first.

D is Incorrect- The authors of the Constitution generally tried to ensure that the houses of Congress balanced each other rather than one having more overall power. For example, though the Senate has approval power on appointments, the House proposes the budget.