Requirements to be a Senator

The Senate is the United States' higher legislative chamber (the House of Representatives being the lower chamber), containing 100 members. If you have dreams of becoming one of the two senators who represent each state for six-year terms, you might want to check the Constitution first. The guiding document for our government specifically spells out the requirements to be a senator. Individuals must be:

• at least 30 years old.

• a U.S. citizen for at least nine years at the time of election to the Senate.

• a resident of the state one is elected to represent in the Senate.

These are the only requirements for the office that are specified in Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution.

• Government 101 Index

Phaedra Trethan is a freelance writer and a former copy editor for The Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper.

Also See:
The Branches of Government
The Senate Agenda
Federalist Papers on Congress
Why We Have a House and a Senate
The Great Compromise of 1787