Over the last twenty years, term limits has been one of the most widely debated issues across the nation. Americans have become sick of their local politicians who are seeking nothing more than to hold a seat for twenty years, until they have a shot at running for Congress.
Polling shows that term limits is just as popular in the states in which they exist as they were when the laws were first passed.
These alarming numbers cause fear for career politicians, which is why they are the ones who seek to eliminate term limits. US Term Limits continues to be the leader in blocking politicians, lobbyists and special interests from repealing term limits for their own personal gain.
Nine of the ten largest cities in America have term limits on their city council and/or mayor, for more details on cities with term limits, click here.
1990 Term Limits Votes |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
State
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Measure Number
|
Type of Limits
|
Yes %
|
Current Status
|
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| California | Prop. 140 | Statewide Officials Legislature | 52.2 | In effect since 1996 | |||||
| Colorado | Amendment 5 | Congress, Statewide Officials, Legislature | 71 | USSC Thornton decision repealed Cong. limits; remaining limits in effect since 1998 | |||||
| Oklahoma | Question 632 | Legislature | 67.3 | Takes effect in 2004 | |||||
1991 Term Limits Votes |
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| Washington | Initiative 553 | Congress, Governor, Lt. Governor, Legislature | 46 | N/A | |||||
1992 Term Limits Votes |
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| Arizona | Prop. 107 | Congress, Legislature, State Executive Dept., Corporation Commission, State Mine Inspector | 74.2 | USSC Thornton decision repealed Cong. limits; remaining limits in effect since 2000 | |||||
| Arkansas | Amendment 73 | Congress, State Constitutional Officers, Legislators | 59.9 | USSC Thornton decision repealed Cong. limits; remaining limits in effect since 1998 | |||||
| California | Prop. 164 | Congress | 63.4 | USSC Thornton decision applies – unconst. | |||||
| Florida | Congress, Statewide Officials, Legislature | 76.8 | USSC Thornton decision repealed Cong. limits; remaining limits in effect since 2000 | ||||||
| Michigan | Proposal B | Congress, Statewide Officials, Legislature | 58.8 | USSC Thornton case repealed Cong. limits; remaining limits in effect since 1998 | |||||
| Missouri | Amendment 12 | Legislature | 75 | Takes effect in 2002 | |||||
| Missouri | Amendment 13 | Congress | 74 | USSC Thornton decision applies – unconst. | |||||
| Montana | CI-64 | Congress, Statewide Officials, Legislature | 67 | USSC Thornton case repealed Cong. limits; remaining limits in effect since 2000 | |||||
| Nebraska | Congress, Statewide Officials, Legislature | 68.2 | State SC held unconst. 1994 | ||||||
| North Dakota | Measure 5 | Congress | 55 | USSC Thornton decision applies – unconst. | |||||
| Ohio | Issue 2 | Congress | 66.2 | USSC Thornton decision applies – unconst. | |||||
| Ohio | Issue 3 | Legislature | 68.4 | In effect since 2000 | |||||
| Ohio | Issue 4 | Lt. Governor, Sec. of State, Treasurer, AG, Auditor | 69.2 | ||||||
| Oregon | Measure 3 | Congress, Statewide Officials, Legislature | 69.5 | USSC Thornton case repealed Cong. limits; remaining limits held unconst. by state SC | |||||
| South Dakota | Amendment A | Congress, Statewide Officials, Legislature | 63.5 | USSC Thornton decision repealed Cong. limits; remaining limits in effect since 2000 | |||||
| Washington | Initiative 573 | Congress, Governor, Lt. Governor, Legislature | 52 | US Dist Court held Cong. Limits unconst. 1/8/94; remaining limits held unconst. by state SC 1/8/98 | |||||
| Wyoming | Initiative 2 | Congress, Statewide Officials, Legislature | 77.2 | USSC Thornton case repealed Cong. limits; remaining limits take effect in 2006 | |||||
1993 Term Limits Votes |
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| Maine | Sec. of State, Treasurer, AG, Auditor, Legislature | 67.6 | In effect since 1996 | ||||||
1994 Term Limits Votes |
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| Alaska | Measure 4 | Congress | 63 | USSC Thornton decision applies – unconst. | |||||
| Colorado | Amendment 17 | Local Officials | 51 | In effect; some localities have voted to amend/repeal the limits | |||||
| Idaho | Proposal 2 | Congress, Statewide Officials, Legislature, County, Local, School Boards | 59 | USSC Thornton decision repealed Cong. limits; remaining limits repealed by legislature, 2/02 | |||||
| Maine | Question 1 | Congress | 63 | USSC Thornton decision applies – unconst. | |||||
| Massachusetts | Question 4 | Congress, Statewide Officials, Legislature | 52 | USSC Thornton decision repealed Cong. limits; State SC ruled remaining limits unconst., 7/97 | |||||
| Nebraska | Measure 408 | Congress, Statewide Officials, Legislature, City & County Officials | 68 | USSC Thornton case – unconst. in part; State SC ruled remainder unconst., Duggan v. Beerman, 1996 | |||||
| Nevada | Question 8 | Congressional | 70 | Required ratification in 1996; removed from 1996 ballot following USSC Thorntondecision | |||||
| Nevada | Question 9 | Statewide Officials, Judges, Justices, Legislature, Local Officials | 70.4 | Required ratification in 1996; split into two questions on 1996 ballot by state SC | |||||
| Oklahoma | Question 662 | Congress | 67 | USSC Thornton decision applies – unconst. | |||||
| Utah | Initiative A | Congress, Statewide Officials, Legislature, County | 35 | N/A | |||||
1995 Term Limits Votes |
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| Louisiana | Legislature | 76 | Takes effect in 2007 | ||||||
| Mississippi | Measure 4 | Congress, Judges, Statewide Officials, Legislature, Local Officials | 45.7 | N/A | |||||
1996 Term Limits Votes |
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| Alaska | Measure 4 | Congress – Instruct & Inform | 54.6 | AG declared unenforceable; USSC Cook v. Gralike applies – unconst. | |||||
| Arkansas | Amendment 9 | Congress – Instruct & Inform | 61 | USSC Cook v. Gralike applies – unconst. | |||||
| Colorado | Amendment 12 | Congress – Instruct & Inform | 54 | State SC held unconst., Feb. 1998 | |||||
| Idaho | Proposal 4 | Congress – Instruct & Inform | 56.1 | USSC Cook v. Gralike applies – unconst. | |||||
| Maine | Question 1 | Congress – Instruct & Inform | 59 | USSC Cook v. Gralike applies – unconst. | |||||
| Missouri | Amendment 9 | Congress – Instruct & Inform | 57.7 | USSC held unconst., 2/01,Cook v. Gralike | |||||
| Montana | I-132 | Congress – Instruct & Inform | 45.4 | N/A | |||||
| Nebraska | Measure 409 | Congress – Instruct & Inform | 58.3 | USSC Donovan v. Priest (1997) applies, holding AR instruct & inform law unconst | |||||
| Nevada | Question 9(a) | Statewide Officials, Legislature, Local Officials | 54.3 | Takes effect in 2008 | |||||
| Nevada | Question 9(b) | Justices, Judges | 41 | N/A | |||||
| Nevada | Question 17 | Congress – Instruct & Inform | 53.2 | Required ratification in 1998 | |||||
| North Dakota | Measure 5 | Congress – Instruct & Inform; Statewide Officials, Legislature | 47.4 | N/A | |||||
| North Dakota | Measure 6 | Constitutional convention to limit Congressional terms | 44.4 | N/A | |||||
| Oregon | Measure 48 | Congress – Instruct & Inform | 48.2 | N/A | |||||
| South Dakota | Measure 1 | Congress – Instruct & Inform | 68 | Repealed by Legislature, 3/97 | |||||
| Washington | Initiative 670 | Congress – Instruct & Inform | 45 | N/A | |||||
| Wyoming | Initiative 1 | Congress – Instruct & Inform | 54.1* | N/A | |||||
| Wyoming | Referendum 1 | Popular referendum to repeal the 1995 legislation extending from 6 to 12 years the limit on legislators | 53.7* | N/A | |||||
1997 Term Limits Votes |
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| No statewide votes on term limits. | |||||||||
1998 Term Limits Votes |
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| Alaska | Measure 7 | Voluntary Congressional Limits & Ballot Labeling | 50.2 | ||||||
| California | Prop. 225 | Congress – Instruct & Inform | 53 | USSC Cook v. Gralike applies – unconst. | |||||
| Colorado | Amendment 18 | Voluntary Congressional Limits & Ballot Labeling | 50.4 | ||||||
| Idaho | Proposal 1 | Voluntary Congressional Limits & Ballot Labeling | 54.7 | ||||||
| Idaho | Advisory vote – should state retain state and local term limits, since Congressional limits were held unconstitutional? | 53.2 | N/A | ||||||
| Nevada | Question 17 | Congress – Instruct & Inform | 55.4 | USSC Cook v. Gralike applies – unconst. | |||||
1999 Term Limits Votes |
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| Mississippi | Measure 9 | Legislature | 45 | N/A | |||||
2000 Term Limits Votes |
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| Nebraska | Measure 415 | Legislature | 56 | Takes effect in 2008 | |||||
2001 Term Limits Votes |
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No statewide votes on term limits.
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2002 Term Limits Votes |
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| California | Prop. 45 | Allow legislators to petition to run for up to 4 years beyond limit | 42.3 | Limits remain in effect | |||||
| Colorado | Referendum A | Exempt district attorneys from term limits | 33.9 | Limits remain in effect | |||||
| Idaho | Proposition 2 | Approve the legislature’s repeal of term limits | 50.2 | Term limits repealed | |||||
| Missouri | Amendment 3 | Exclude partial terms from term limits | 54.2 | Partial terms are excluded from term limits | |||||
2003 Term Limits Votes |
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| No statewide votes on term limits. | |||||||||
2004 Term Limits Votes |
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| Arkansas | Amendment 1 | Extend limit on terms to 12 years in each chamber | 29.9 | Term limits remain unchanged | |||||
| Montana | C-42 | Extend limit on terms from 8 years in a 16-year period to 12 years in a 24-year period in each chamber | 31.4 | Term limits remain unchanged | |||||
2005 Term Limits Votes |
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| No statewide votes on term limits. | |||||||||
2006 Term Limits Votes |
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| Oregon | Measure 45 | Legislature | 41.3 | No legislative term limits in Oregon | |||||
2007 Term Limits Votes |
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| Maine | Question 5 | Extend from 4 to 6 the number of consecutive terms a legislator may serve | 32.9 | Term limits remain unchanged | |||||
2008 Term Limits Votes |
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| California | Proposition 93 | Remove chamber-specific limits and instead permit a legislator to serve a total of 12 years in the legislature | 46.4 | Term limits remain unchanged | |||||
| South Dakota | Amendment J | Repeal term limits | 24.3 | Term limits remain unchanged | |||||
2009 Term Limits Votes |
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| No statewide votes on term limits. | |||||||||
2010 Term Limits Votes |
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2011 Term Limits Votes |
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| No statewide votes on term limits. | |||||||||
2012 Term Limits Votes |
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| California | Proposition 28 | Remove chamber-specific limits and instead permit a legislator to serve a total of 12 years in the legislature | 61.0 | The change was adopted; term limits remain in effect, as amended | |||||
| Nebraska | Amendment 3 | Change limit from 2 to 3 consecutive terms | 35.3 | Term limits remain unchanged | |||||
Notes
*An initiative must receive a majority of the total votes cast in an election, not simply a majority of the votes cast on the initiative, in order to pass. Therefore, both Wyoming measures failed. Initiative 1 received 48.7% of the total votes cast; Referendum 1 received 48.4% of the total votes cast.
Source: National Conference of State Legislatures, February 2013.