Americans have a right to elect a leader in mental decline | READER COMMENTARY

While I certainly believe that Americans shouldn’t want to elect a person to be president who has “diminished capacity” (“Biden, Trump underscore need for cognitive testing of presidential candidates,” Feb. 16), the reality is that requiring any such cognitive test would be unconstitutional. Good health, whether physical or mental, is not one of the listed qualifications to become president. If Americans choose, they can knowingly elect a person in “mental decline.”

Also, if by chance, passing a mental capacity test did become a prerequisite for the presidency, based on the example that people have to meet certain standards to obtain a driver’s license, then I suspect those who are seeking to erect a national voter identification law would squeeze through the same legislative door using that logic. Indeed, they would hold the better position as there is nothing in the U.S. Constitution prohibiting Congress from passing a law that demands people have identification cards before casting ballots in national elections.

— Sean Tully, Baltimore

Add your voice: Respond to this piece or other Sun content by submitting your own letter.