CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Primary election voting is well underway, and WCNC Charlotte has received a lot of questions about political candidates and whether it matters where they live. WCNC Charlotte's VERIFY team looked into it.
THE QUESTION:
Are congressional candidates required to live within the district they would be representing?
THE ANSWER:
No, House of Representatives candidates are not required to live within the district they are running for, but they do have to live in the state they would be representing.
OUR SOURCES:
WHAT WE FOUND:
The U.S. Constitution lists several requirements for being seated in the House of Representatives.
- Candidates have to be at least 25 years old.
- Candidates must have been a United States citizen for at least seven years.
- Candidates must live in the state they represent.
"It does not impose a specific district residency requirement, and the U.S. Supreme Court has said in the past when states try to put on additional requirements, that violates the U.S. Constitution," Bitzer said.
Bitzer told WCNC Charlotte that Congress members are allowed to have multiple homes, but their primary residence needs to be in the state where they were elected.
"The requirement would be where they primarily reside, and based on that, it is where someone pays state taxes or where they spend the majority of the year that would determine where their state residence is," Bitzer said.
Contact Meghan Bragg at mbragg@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
VERIFY is dedicated to helping the public distinguish between true and false information. The VERIFY team, with help from questions submitted by the audience, tracks the spread of stories or claims that need clarification or correction. Have something you want VERIFIED? Text us at 704-329-3600 or visit VERIFY.
WCNC Charlotte's Verify series is all about trying to make a difference in the Carolinas by making sure the community has the correct information. WCNC Charlotte outlines concisely what we know and what we don't know. Sometimes the answer can be surprising. Watch previous stories where we verify social media claims in the YouTube playlist below and subscribe to get updated when new videos are uploaded.