CITY HALL—Iowa City officials are launching a new plan to beef up enforcement of an oft-overlooked federal technicality restricting the age at which citizens can run for president.
Mayor Matt Hayek and Police Chief Sam Hargadine met with community leaders last night to talk about the plan. They defended the initiative against criticisms from students that the presidential candidacy age is too high.
“This is not about the age requirement, which we cannot control,” Hayek said. “This is about addressing a serious problem and improving our community.”
Article two, section one of the U.S. Constitution requires the president to be at least 35 years old. However, enforcement of the law has been lax and more than a handful of University of Iowa undergraduates have run for the office during the last few election cycles.
Police will start making frequent checks at the Johnson County Auditor’s Office and work with state campaign authorities to make sure nobody underage tries to get on the 2012 ballot. Officials are confident that plan will help curb the Iowa City’s decades-old reputation as a hotspot for underage presidential candidates.
“This will absolutely make Iowa City a safer, more livable community,” Hargadine said.
