A Change Research national survey of 2,006 registered voters, conducted July 13–17, 2026, finds majority support for maximum age limits across four major government positions, as well as broad support for mandatory health and cognitive evaluations and a formal process for removing officials who become medically or cognitively unable to serve. The 119th Congress is the third oldest in U.S. history, with an average member age of 58.9 years. The U.S. Constitution sets minimum ages for elected federal office but no maximum.
Support for Age Limits
Majorities of voters support a maximum age limit for Congress (83%), the presidency (79%), state governors (80%), and Supreme Court justices (78%).
Support for an age limit spans party lines, with 89% of Democrats and 79% of independents in favor of a presidential cap, compared to 69% of Republicans. The partisan gap is widest on the Supreme Court, where 88% of Democrats support a maximum age limit for justices, compared to 67% of Republicans.
Preferred Maximum Age
Among voters who support a maximum age limit, the two most common preferences are age 70 (31%) and age 65 (30%), followed by 75 (21%). Just 10% say 80, and 2% say older than 80.
Among supporters of a limit, 39% of Democrats prefer a cap at 65, compared to 20% of Republicans. Among Republicans who support a limit, 24% say 75 and 17% say 80.
Health and Cognitive Evaluations
The survey finds that 86% of voters support requiring elected officials over a certain age to publicly release regular health and cognitive evaluations, with 65% strongly supporting the requirement. Just 9% oppose it.
Support is consistent across party: 90% of Democrats, 84% of Republicans, and 76% of independents are in favor. Among women 50 to 64, 94% support the requirement, the highest share of any gender-age group surveyed.
A Removal Process for Incapacitated Officials
The survey also finds that 87% of voters support creating a formal process to remove a member of Congress who becomes medically or cognitively unable to do the job. Currently, no such mechanism exists outside of a chamber vote to expel a member. Just 8% oppose creating one.
Support is consistent across party: 90% of Democrats, 85% of Republicans, and 82% of independents are in favor. Support increases with age, from 82% of voters 18 to 34 to 91% of voters 65 and older. Among women 65 and older, 94% support a removal process. Among men 35 to 49, 92% are in favor.
Methodology
Change Research conducted this survey of 2,006 registered voters from July 13–17, 2026. The modeled margin of error is 2.3%.
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