Baton Rouge Senator Dan Claitor wants to settle the argument over whether voters should have the opportunity to elect someone who is over 70 years old. State judges are not allowed to be elected after the age of 70 and Claitor has proposed a constitutional amendment that prohibits a person over the age of 70 from running for a statewide positon or the legislature.
Claitor says that if the one part of 70 year old age group is discriminated against, then the whole age group should be discriminated against "as opposed to just part of it."
Claitor also has also filed a constitutional amendment that would allow a person over the age of 70 to be elected as a judge. He‘s filed the two pieces of legislation so the legislature can have an open discussion on whether elderly residents should be elected to pubic office.
Claitor says that it is "narrow-minded" to "exclude a particular age group completely."
Claitor says he has heard some opposition from long time legislators about the constitutional amendment that would make individual over the age of 70 ineligible to run for the legislative.