Term limits

Term limits refers to statutory or constitutional limits on the number of terms a politician can serve in a given office. A term limit places a restriction on the number of years that a government official may serve. For example, the President of the United States is limited by the Twenty-Second Amendment to two terms. There are no terms limits for representatives and senators, per U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thorton in 1995.

Those who support term limits say that politicians who spend too much time in office lose touch with the interests of the voters, and become overly influenced by special interests. They argue that the Founders intended for government officials to get elected from the public, serve from a short period of time, and then go back to their normal lives, and that the idea of professional politicians is un-American and elitist.

Those who oppose term limits say they impair the right of the people to vote. If a government official is doing a good job, the people should be able to elect him again and again. The people should decide how long they serve. Further, they say that politics is a job like every other job, and that, like in any other job, experienced politicians know better how to get laws passed and get things done effectively.

A movement to enact term limits on U.S. and state legislative bodies was popular during the 1990s and inspired a number of ballot initiatives.