Can a candidate run for office in America while incarcerated? For the most part, yes. In fact, while it is rare, the Unites Sates has a curious history of jailhouse political campaigns, some of which were successful.
Article One of the U.S. Constitution requires that members of the House and Senate fulfill three requirements: All members of the House must be at least 25 years old, and members of the Senate must be at least 30 years old.
Members of the House must have been a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and members of the Senate must have been a U.S. citizen for at least nine years.
They have to be an “inhabitant” of the state “when elected.” According to a report by the Congressional Research Service, committing a crime cannot constitutionally disqualify someone from serving in Congress. And the state has no say in determining whether or not someone is qualified to serve in the House or Senate. In a report updated in 2002, the CRS said the following:…