Final answer:
To serve in the U.S. Senate, a person must be at least 30 years old, a U.S. citizen for a minimum of nine years, and an inhabitant of the state they represent at the time of their election.
Step-by-step explanation:
The three basic requirements a person must meet in order to serve in the U.S. Senate are as follows:
- Candidates must be at least 30 years old.
- They must have been a citizen of the United States for at least nine years.
- At the time of election, they must be an inhabitant of the state that they wish to represent.
These requirements ensure that senators have a certain level of maturity, a significant period of citizenship to understand national issues, and a residency that aligns them with the interests of the state they represent.