Final answer:
Candidates for U.S. political office must meet age, citizenship, and residency requirements, with varying term lengths for different positions. The President is limited to two terms, while no federal term limits exist for Congress following a Supreme Court decision. State legislatures may have their own term limits, including consecutive limits and lifetime bans.
Step-by-step explanation:
To run for a specific office in the United States, a candidate must meet certain eligibility requirements related to age, citizenship, and residency. For instance, a presidential candidate must be a natural-born citizen, at least 35 years old, and have resided in the U.S. for at least 14 years. Members of the House of Representatives must be at least 25 years old, have been citizens for seven years, and live in the state they represent. Senators must be at least 30 years old, have been citizens for nine years, and also reside in the state they represent.The term length for elected officials varies: House members serve two-year terms, while Senators serve six-year terms. The President may serve four-year terms but is limited to two terms by the 22nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court decision in U.S. Term Limits v. Thornton (1995) confirmed that there are currently no term limits for either senators or representatives at the federal level, despite some states attempting to impose them during the 1990s. Some state legislatures have their own term limits, allowing members to serve only once or requiring a gap period before seeking reelection after reaching the limit.Consecutive term limits and lifetime bans also exist in certain states, affecting how many times a person can be elected. Individual states may have specific requirements related to voter status, residency length, and other candidacy qualifications. Candidacy declarations must adhere to state-specific filing deadlines to appear on primary or general election ballots.