what are the requirements for federally elected officials, according to the US constitution?

Presidential Office

  • Natural born citizen
  • At least 35 years of age
  • Have lived in the US for at least 14 years

“No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.”

Senate

  • At least 30 years of age
  • US citizen for at least nine years
  • Currently living in the state which they seek to represent

“No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen.”

House of Representatives

  • At least 25 years of age
  • US citizen for at least seven years
  • Currently living in the state which they seek to represent

“No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.”

The US Constitution does not permit states to impose any
additional requirements on Senators or Representatives
(no term limits, no background checks, etc.)

92% of all employers require some kind of background check for potential employees. 

Government employees are also required to undergo background checks, often including credit checks and drug tests.

However, their elected supervisors are rarely checked.

Democracy functions properly when voters are informed

Now, you can get verified information about candidates with the Transparency In Politics/Peopletrail background check. Peopletrail is one of the leading national background checks and complies with all state and federal regulations. Read more about Peopletrail here.

By sharing their Transparency In Politics background check through Peopletrail, candidates can earn the Transparency In Politics (TIP) Certification Seal.

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When you see a candidate with the Transparency In Politics Seal, you can ease your voting stress.

You’ll have confidence

that candidates have been truthful about their criminal record, resume, military history, and licensing.

Information is verified by a reliable certified background check company

You can speak intelligently about candidate preferences to others, sharing accurate information and being able to counter fake news.

Have your say

You can ease your voting stress

You can make your voting decisions based on facts, not assumptions and mudslinging.

You can save time

narrowing down your candidate preferences by eliminating those without a background check and prioritizing those with TIP certification.

FAQ

TIP is voluntary and nonpartisan. Only those who choose to submit a background check will be featured on the TIP website. There is no vetting of political candidates. TIP does not have any political affiliation.

Any political candidate in the US may order our background check. If they choose to share it publicly, they will be awarded the TIP Seal.

From well-known, unbiased, reputable third parties. Peopletrail is our background check partner.

Yes – only background checks that have been authorized and reviewed by candidates are part of the TIP Certification process.

TIP links to nonpartisan third-party sites which contain information about candidates in our Additional Resources page, but only elected officials who choose to participate in the program will have their background check reports posted on the TIP website. TIP provides background reports and candidate disclosures with no comments.

TIP’s funding comes from fees charged to elected officials/candidates for their Transparency In Politics Certification.

Starting and maintaining a nonprofit requires a constant search for funding. It is very time-consuming and while grants may be available, they are very competitive. Our time at TIP is best spent getting voters information they can rely on. TIP needs to be ready and able to make changes quickly with this evolving endeavor as politics change quickly. This does not take away from TIP’s commitment to being a nonpartisan project.

I have more questions

Background Checks for candidates should be a
no-brainer!

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