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A recent health problem concerning the leader of the Republican minority in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, has reignited the debate on the age of the main American political figures.

The 81-year-old appeared to freeze for the second time in just over a month this week while speaking to reporters. In the United States, the average age in the Senate is 64, while two of the leading 2024 presidential candidates – Joe Biden and Donald Trump – are over 75. A number of voters who spoke to the BBC said they were concerned about what some called America’s gerontocracy.

Karen Kemp-Prosterman has a mixed-race family in the northeastern United States. She says protecting democracy and ensuring the right to vote are her most important voting issues.

I think the Senate is old and at some point we will have to make sure we recruit younger people. You have to admire the path [Mr McConnell] used his power – he used it to the fullest he could. But I also think it’s sad to watch. Watching him on camera, maybe you can tell his mind knows he’s trapped. As a human being, it’s difficult to watch, especially knowing the political athlete he was.

I actually feel good about Biden. I think Biden has accomplished a lot compared to his predecessors who were much younger than him. As long as he surrounds himself with competent people, I have no problem with his age. Do I wish [Michigan Governor] Gretchen Whitmer or [Pennsylvania Governor] Was Josh Shapiro in the running? Yes, but I will vote for Biden anyway.

Voters know how old these people are when they vote for them. I don’t think anyone should take a skills test. Just because you’re old doesn’t mean you can’t do your job. Voters must be trusted to make their own decisions every time they go to the voting booth.

Noel Brown is originally from Manchester, United Kingdom and now lives in North Carolina. He is a registered independent who describes himself as slightly right-wing.

I think so [Mr McConnell] feels able to work, and if his doctor has cleared him to work, then I think it’s okay.

What I would like to see is a certificate of competency that includes physical and mental health. It could be for Congress, for the president.

I’m worried about Mr. Biden. With Biden, I’m not really sure he’s there mentally. I also think Donald Trump is too old to hold this position. Trump has many other problems for me. He disrespects the office of president.

But people are living much longer and are healthier into old age. Someone can be 80 years old or 80 years old.

A certificate of competence for someone in such an important position is a good idea.

Gabriel Montalvo is part of the army and active in local political groups. He voted for Trump in 2020.

I think Mitch McConnell still has a lot of experience working in our government, but there comes a time in everyone’s life where age catches up.

People should think about imposing term limits on the House and Senate. We’re doing it with the President of the United States and different governors across the country where they’ve accumulated so much time that it’s no longer about the people voting for them but the political machine in Washington.

To maintain a healthy government, it is important that we carry out this kind of cleanup. Every 10 years you should be able to filter people because it gets closer to a new generation of emerging ideas.

Regarding the president and the former president, although they are both very old, there is also a strong contrast in their mental abilities. It’s the most powerful man in the world who falls and must be redirected by the staff. Trump does not need to be watched so closely.

John Schreiner is an independent who has voted Republican in about 60% of elections. He voted for Democrat Joe Biden in 2020.

It seems our government resembles a gerontocracy. I am preoccupied [Mr McConnell] it’s having these absent, seizure-like episodes. It’s not just Mitch McConnell. We have [Senator] Diane Feinstein who isn’t necessarily coherent half the time.

We like to say that age is just a number. I don’t think age is just a number. Does Biden or Trump have the stamina to do a job like this? I question it. I know the president likes to appear to have stamina, but he’s 80 years old, so how long can he really last?

Term limits would be a tough sell for me. Being a politician is a career like any other and there is something about having between 10 and 20 years of experience. 20 years of experience is a better fit for the position than someone with two years of experience. I can easily see something like this coming back to bite us.