Who Can Run? Qualifications for Political Office Article & Review for Civics

This Who Can Run? Qualifications for Political Office Article & Review for Civics covers the Constitutional requirements for running for the Presidency, Senate, and House of Representatives in the United States. A graphic organizer, vocabulary review, and reflection are included, as well as a Who Can Run? scenario activity in which students read character bios and determine who is qualified to run for office. Perfect for any middle or high school Civics, American History, or American Government class studying U.S. elections!

This U.S. Elections resource is compatible with the following Florida State Standard for Middle School Civics:

• SS.7.CG.2.7, Qualifications for Office. 

This U.S. Elections Resource Includes:

✯ Who Can Run? Article covering the requirements to run for the Presidency, Senate, and House of Representatives. At the end of the passage, there is a quote from Article I of the Constitution, and students are asked to analyze it and determine the candidacy requirements for House Representatives. 

✯ Who Can Run? Article Review. Students take notes from the article, summarize the main idea in their own words, and answer two scenarios to determine whether someone is eligible to run for office.

Sample Questions:

• Describe the requirements for each of the following positions in the U.S. Government. (President, Senator, Representative)
• Explain how we choose our president, using the words “election”, “campaign”, and “candidate”.

✯ Who Can Run? Qualifications for Office Scenarios worksheet, in which students examine even more scenarios of people who would like to run for office, determine whether they are eligible, and explain why or why not. 

Sample Scenarios:

• My name’s Roger, and I’m a 26-year-old guy living in New York City. I want to run for the Senate seat in New York! Am I eligible?
• I’m Jasper, and I’m really excited to run for the Senate seat in my state, Georgia. Though I’m originally from Canada, I got my U.S. citizenship 10 years ago, and now I’m ready to serve! Can I? 

✯ Comprehension & Vocabulary Review & Reflection that asks students to define key terms, review the requirements for office one last time, and answer a reflective question on whether there should be a maximum age limit for office. 

This resource comes as a non-editable, printable PDF and includes an Answer Key. There is also a digital version available through TPT Easel, which can be assigned directly to Google Classroom or shared with your students via a link!

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