The federal government has shown its age in recent years, not the institution itself, but rather the politicians occupying it — the 118th Congress was one of oldest in history upon election, and the current president is the oldest to ever serve in the role.

Age is becoming a key component of the upcoming 2024 presidential election, as the leading contenders from each political party would be either 78 or 82 on inauguration in 2025. There was also the recent death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) at the age of 90. With all the uncertainty, political succession has come under focus.

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When combined with the recent ouster of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from the House speakership and the calls for resignation or expulsion of Rep. George Santos (R-NY) and Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) after their respective federal indictments, interest in who the "next man up" is has increased significantly. Here is a look at who succeeds elected officials if they must vacate the office due to resignation, expulsion, or death.

President

If the president resigns or dies, the next in line would be the vice president. If the vice presidency is vacant as well, it would go to the speaker of the House of Representatives, then the Senate President pro tempore, followed by the various cabinet positions, until there is an eligible successor who meets the constitutional requirements to be president.

The individual who ascends to the presidency would remain in the office until the next regularly scheduled election, with no special election taking place for the remainder of the term.

In the more than 234 years of the presidency, nine vice presidents have ascended to the presidency due to a vacancy — eight resulted from deaths and one from a resignation.

Vice President

If the vice presidency is vacated, either through death, resignation, or accession to the presidency, an individual must be nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate and House of Representatives, as outlined in the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Two vice presidents have been confirmed into office via this method, Gerald Ford and Nelson Rockefeller, in 1973 and 1974, respectively. Ford filled the vacancy left by Spiro Agnew, who resigned from office, and Rockefeller filled the vacancy left by Ford, ascending to the presidency after Richard Nixon resigned following the Watergate scandal.

Prior to the ratification of the 25th Amendment in 1967, the vice presidency would be left vacant until the next regular presidential election.

House of Representatives

If a seat in the House of Representatives is left vacant, the seat is held open until a special election can be held to replace the former occupant. When the special election is scheduled depends on the state of the seat and which session of Congress the vacancy occurs in.

If the vacancy occurs during the first session of Congress, most states will opt to hold the special election alongside other elections in the congressional district although some have strict time requirements in which a special election must be held following a vacancy. If the vacancy occurs during the second session of Congress, some states may opt to hold the special election on the same day as the regular primary or general election for the seat, but rules vary greatly by state.

If the House speaker becomes vacant, either through resignation, death, or a motion to vacate the chair, the chamber must elect a new speaker before it can conduct any further legislative activity. In the interim, while a speaker has yet to be elected, the speaker pro tempore serves as the head of the chamber. The speaker speaker pro tempore is selected based on a secret list for succession to the speakership made by the previous speaker.

Senate

If there is a vacancy in the Senate, the seat is filled in one of two ways — either during the next general election or a special election. Most (37) states wait until a general election to elect an individual to the seat, and the remaining 13 states mandate a special election be called. All but four states, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin, allow the governor to appoint an interim replacement for the seat.

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Governor

If there is a vacancy in a state governorship, the lieutenant governor ascends to the state's chief executive in 45 states.

In three states, Arizona, Oregon, and Wyoming, the secretary of state assumes the role of governor if the governor's office is vacant, and in two states, Maine and New Hampshire, the state Senate president assumes the governorship.