The Term Limited States
Updated June 2009
The following table represents the 15 states that currently have term limits for legislators. They are ordered by the year of term limits' impact--the first year in which incumbents who were serving when the term limits measure was passed are no longer eligible to run for re-election. At the bottom of the page is a table of states that had term limits in the past but no longer do (due to legislative or court action).
|
|
|
House
|
Senate
|
|
|
State
|
Year Enacted
|
Limit
|
Year of Impact
|
Limit
|
Year of Impact
|
% Voted Yes
|
|
MAINE
|
1993
|
8
|
1996
|
8
|
1996
|
67.6
|
|
CALIFORNIA
|
1990
|
6
|
1996
|
8
|
1998
|
52.2
|
|
COLORADO
|
1990
|
8
|
1998
|
8
|
1998
|
71
|
|
ARKANSAS
|
1992
|
6
|
1998
|
8
|
2000
|
59.9
|
|
MICHIGAN
|
1992
|
6
|
1998
|
8
|
2002
|
58.8
|
|
FLORIDA
|
1992
|
8
|
2000
|
8
|
2000
|
76.8
|
|
OHIO
|
1992
|
8
|
2000
|
8
|
2000
|
68.4
|
|
SOUTH DAKOTA
|
1992
|
8
|
2000
|
8
|
2000
|
63.5
|
|
MONTANA
|
1992
|
8
|
2000
|
8
|
2000
|
67
|
|
ARIZONA
|
1992
|
8
|
2000
|
8
|
2000
|
74.2
|
|
* MISSOURI
|
1992
|
8
|
2002
|
8
|
2002
|
75
|
|
OKLAHOMA
|
1990
|
12
|
2004
|
12
|
2004
|
67.3
|
|
NEBRASKA
|
2000
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
8
|
2006
|
56
|
|
LOUISIANA
|
1995
|
12
|
2007
|
12
|
2007
|
76
|
|
**NEVADA
|
1996
|
12
|
2010
|
12
|
2010
|
70.4
|
* Because of special elections, term limits were effective in 2000 for eight current members of the House and one Senator in 1998.
**The Nevada Legislative Council and Attorney General have ruled that Nevada's term limits cannot be applied to those legislators elected in the same year term limits were passed (1996). They first apply to persons elected in 1998.
Source: National Conference of State Legislatures
Consecutive vs. Lifetime Limits
Term limits may be divided into two broad categories: consecutive and lifetime. With consecutive term limits, a legislator is limited to serving a particular number of years in a chamber. Upon hitting the limit in one chamber, a legislator may run for election to the other chamber or leave the legislature. After a set period of time (usually two years), the clock resets on the limit, and the legislator may run for election to his/her original seat and serve up to the limit again.
With lifetime limits, on the other hand, once a legislator has served up to the limit, she/he may never again run for election to that office. Lifetime limits are much more restrictive than consecutive limits.
|
Limit in Years
|
Consecutive
|
Lifetime Ban
|
|
6 house / 8 senate
|
|
AR, CA, MI
|
|
8 total
|
NE
|
|
|
8 house / 8 senate
|
AZ, CO, FL, ME, MT, OH, SD
|
MO
|
|
12 total
|
|
OK
|
|
12 house / 12 senate
|
LA
|
NV
|
Source: National Conference of State Legislatures
Term Limits Repeals
In six states, term limits have been repealed by the legislature or by court action.
|
State
|
Year Repealed
|
Year Enacted
|
Who Repealed?
|
|
IDAHO
|
2002
|
1994
|
Legislature
|
|
MASSACHUSETTS
|
1997
|
1994
|
State Supreme Court
|
|
OREGON
|
2002
|
1992
|
State Supreme Court
|
|
UTAH
|
2003
|
1994
|
Legislature
|
|
WASHINGTON
|
1998
|
1992
|
State Supreme Court
|
|
WYOMING
|
2004
|
1992
|
State Supreme Court
|
For More Information
Jennie Drage Bowser tracks term limits, and may be reached at 303-364-7700 or elections-info@ncsl.org. |