15 States That Use Term Limits on Their Lawmakers

Shawn GriffithsShawn Griffiths
Published: 31 Oct, 2019
1 min read

Term limits are arguably the most popular political reform in the US. McLaughlin and Associates found in February 2018 that 82% of US voters support term limits for Congress, including 89% of Republicans, 76% of Democrats, and 83% of Independents.

Most states -- 36 to the exact -- impose some type of term limits on their governor, much like there is a 2-term limit for president. However, on the legislative side, the number is significantly diminished. While 21 states have passed term limits for their respective legislature at one point or another, only 15 currently use them.

Here are those states:

Arizona

In 1992, Arizona voters overwhelmingly approved term limits on state legislators with 74.2% of the vote. State legislators can serve up to 8 years in each chamber. However, the 8 years is not a lifetime total. Politicians can serve up to the limit in one chamber, seek election in the other chamber, and serve another 8 years.

In this article

You Might Also Like

SCOTUS
Independents Respond: Should There Be Supreme Court Term Limits?
IVN asked its audience if they support term limits for the US Supreme Court after President Joe Biden announced his position that justices should be limited to 18-year terms instead of a lifetime appointment as stipulated in the US Constitution....
31 Jul, 2024
-
4 min read
image article
Would Term Limits for the House and Senate Encourage Bipartisanship?
Editor's Note: The pieces below feature two sides to the debate on term limits from Jonathan Simpson...
12 Apr, 2022
-
17 min read
bernie sanders
Our Revolution Says It Will Mobilize Over A Million CA Voters to Support Prop 50
The national progressive organization that spawned from Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign has now set its sights on Proposition 50 in California and says it will mobilize 1.2 million contacts statewide in support of a proposed legislative gerrymander....
24 Sep, 2025
-
3 min read
Supreme Court building
SCOTUS Considers Challenge to Closed Primaries -- Here's Why It Is Such a Big Deal
In a dramatic step forward for litigation challenging closed primaries, the U.S. Supreme Court has indicated they are going to conference to discuss whether to grant a writ of certiorari to Polelle v. Florida Secretary of State; a case challenging Florida's closed primaries that Open Primaries has supported since its inception....
26 Sep, 2025
-
2 min read
SQ836 supporters
Oklahoma GOP Fails To Block Open Primaries Initiative from Going Before Voters
The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday unanimously rejected a challenge to a proposed ballot initiative that would open taxpayer-funded primary elections to all candidates and voters, regardless of party affiliation – paving the way for the signature petition process to begin....
17 Sep, 2025
-
4 min read