From Ballotpedia

Spring to: navigation, search

Voting on
Term Limits
Term limits.jpg
Election Measures
By state
By year
Not on ballot

State legislative
term limits

Gubernatorial
term limits
Lieutenant Governors
term limits
Secretaries of State
term limits
Attorneys Full general
term limits
State executive
term limits

There are a number of term limits to offices in the Us, which restrict the number of terms an private can hold a sure office.

Federal term limits

The Amendment XXII, United States Constitution says that no person can be elected President of the The states more than twice. Term limits are a specially important upshot in the United States.

President George Washington originally started the tradition of informal Presidential term limits by refusing to run for a third term. The short-lived Confederate States of America adopted a 6-year term for their President and Vice-President, and barred the President from seeking re-ballot. This innovation was endorsed past many American politicians afterwards the war, virtually notably by Rutherford B. Hayes in his inaugural address. Hayes' proposal did non come up to fruition, but the government of Mexico adopted the Confederate term and limit for its federal President. Franklin Roosevelt was the first and only President to successfully break Washington'due south tradition, and he died in office while serving his fourth term.

Congressional term limits were featured prominently in the Republican Political party'due south Contract with America in the United states of america House 1994 ballot entrada and may well have contributed to the Republicans gaining control of the Usa House of Representatives from the Democratic Party for the kickoff time since the Us 1952 elections. The Republican leadership brought to the flooring of the Business firm a constitutional amendment that would limit Firm members to half dozen ii-yr terms and members of the Senate to 2 six-year terms. Still, this amendment did not gain the blessing of U.S. Term Limits, the largest private organization pushing for Congressional term limits. (U.S. Term Limits wanted House members to be express to three two-year terms.) With the Republicans property 230 seats in the Firm, the amendment did receive a simple bulk in the House. However, a two-thirds bulk (290 votes) is required to pass a constitutional subpoena, and thus the bill failed. The concept subsequently lost momentum past the mid 1990s.

In May 1995, the Us Supreme Court ruled v-4 in U.Due south. Term Limits, Inc. 5. Thornton, that states cannot impose term limits upon their U.S. Representatives or U.Due south. Senators.

Term limits at the federal level are restricted to the executive branch and some agencies. The U.Due south. Congress, however, remains without electoral limits.

State term limits

Term limits for state governors or others within the state executive branch and other high constitutional offices take existed since the start of the United States. One of the get-go such limits of its kind, the Delaware Constitution of 1776, limited the Governor of Delaware to a single three-twelvemonth term; the governor of Delaware tin can serve two four-year terms. As of nowadays, in that location are 36 states accept adopted term limits of various types for their governors. One variation immune a governor to exist re-elected, just but to non-sequent terms. (To circumvent this provision, George Wallace, the governor of Alabama, announced in 1966 that voters should elect his wife, Lurleen Wallace, their next governor. It was articulate during the campaign that Mrs. Wallace would be a governor in name only, and thus she was elected the first female governor of Alabama.)

Beginning in the 1990s, term limit laws were imposed on twenty state legislatures through either successful ballot measures, referenda, legislative acts, or state constitutional changes. The Maine legislature was the starting time state to enact legislative term limits in 1993.

Since 1997, however, 6 state legislatures have either overturned their own limits or country supreme courts have ruled such limits unconstitutional. In 2002 the Idaho Legislature became the first legislature of its kind to repeal its own term limits, enacted by a public vote in 1994, ostensibly considering it applied to local officials along with the legislature.

State legislatures with term limits

States with legislative limits
Legislature Limits in upshot Year limits imposed Year limits took result
Arizona Legislature H: four terms (8 years)
South: iv terms (8 years) 		1992 H: 2000
S: 2000
Arkansas Legislature 12 sequent years; can return after a iv-year break 1992, 2014, modified 2020 H: 1998
S: 2000
California Legislature 12 year cumulative full, in either or both 1990, modified 2012 A: 1996
South: 1998
Colorado Legislature H: 4 terms (8 years)
S: ii terms (viii years) 		1990 H: 1998
S: 1998
Florida Legislature H: 4 terms (8 years)
S: ii terms (8 years) 		1992 H: 2000
S: 2000
Louisiana Legislature H: 3 terms (12 years)
South: 3 terms (12 years) 		1995 H: 2007
Due south: 2007
Maine Legislature H: 4 terms (8 years)
S: four terms (viii years) 		1993 H: 1996
S: 1996
Michigan Legislature H: 3 terms (half-dozen years)
S: two terms (8 years) 		1992 H: 1998
Southward: 2002
Missouri Legislature H: four terms (8 years)
S: ii terms (8 years) 		Subpoena 13 (1992)
(also see: Subpoena 3 (2002) 		H: 2002
Southward: 2002
Montana Legislature H: 4 terms (eight years)
S: 2 terms (8 years) 		1992 H: 2000
Southward: 2000
Nebraska Unicameral S: 2 terms (8 years) 2000 S: 2008
Nevada Legislature A: half dozen terms (12 years)
South: 3 terms (12 years) 		Initiative passed in 1996, took effect with those elected in 1998 A: 2010
South: 2010
Ohio Legislature H: 4 terms (8 years)
S: 2 terms (8 years) 		1992 H: 2000
S: 2000
Oklahoma Legislature 12 year cumulative total, in either or both 1990 H: 2004
S: 2004
South Dakota Legislature H: iv terms (8 years)
South: four terms (eight years) 		1992 H: 2000
S: 2000

Overturned land legislative term limits

The post-obit six legislatures take had their term limits nullified:

  • Idaho Legislature: the Legislature repealed its ain term limits in 2002.
  • Massachusetts General Court: the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court overturned term limits in 1997.
  • Oregon Legislative Assembly: the Oregon Supreme Court ruled term limits unconstitutional in 2002.
  • Utah State Legislature: the Legislature repealed its own term limits in 2003.
  • Washington State Legislature: the Washington Supreme Court voided term limits in 1998.
  • Wyoming Legislature: the Wyoming Supreme Court ruled term limits unconstitutional in 2004.

Municipal term limits

In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the mayor cannot be elected 3 consecutive times, merely there is no limit on how long any individual can serve as mayor. Frank Rizzo was elected mayor there in 1971 and 1975, then tried and failed to get the 3-sequent ban overturned, then could not run for that role in 1979.

See as well

  • Term limits
  • List of term limits ballot measures
  • U.S. Term Limits
  • Eric O'Keefe
  • Paul Jacob

External links

  • National Conference of Country Legislatures term limits overview