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Impact of term limits on state representative elections in 2016
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← 2014
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| Term Limits |
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| Impact of Term Limits by Year |
| 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2014 • 2016 |
| State senates |
| Arizona • Arkansas • California Colorado • Florida • Maine Michigan • Missouri • Montana Nebraska • Nevada • Ohio Oklahoma • South Dakota |
| State houses |
| Arizona • Arkansas • California Colorado • Florida • Maine Michigan • Missouri • Montana Nevada • Ohio Oklahoma • South Dakota |
| State legislatures with term limits |
| Term limits on the ballot |
Elections of state representatives in 13 states with state legislative term limits took place on November 8, 2016. The 13 states where state representatives are impacted by term limits was just under 29 percent of the 45 states where state legislative elections of lower house members took place in 2016.
There are 15 states with state legislative term limits, but Louisiana holds house elections in odd years and Nebraska does not have a lower house.
In 2016, 186 state representatives were ineligible to run for re-election in November because of term limit laws in their state.
This included:
- 84 incumbent Democrats
- 102 incumbent Republicans
The 186 state representatives who were termed out represent 14.8% of the 1,261 total house seats up for election in the 13 term-limited states with elections in November 2016.
Differential impact on parties
Going into the 2016 elections, the Democratic Party was the majority party in three of the 13 state houses with term limits. The Republican Party was the majority in eight of the 13 state houses with term limits.
- In three states, more Democrats were term limited than Republicans. In California, Colorado and Maine, the majority party was Democratic.
- In nine states, more Republicans were term limited than Democrats. In Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma and South Dakota the majority party was Republican.
- There were no Arkansas representatives affected by term limits.
- Louisiana, which elects its legislators every four years in odd years, did not hold state House elections in 2016.
Overview chart
Note: The figures in Column 5 ("Seats impacted by term limits") only reflects current members of state houses who were unable to run for re-election to their state's house in 2016 because of term limits. In some cases, state representatives who would have been unable to run for re-election in 2016 may have resigned or were appointed to other positions prior to the start of the year. Representatives who resigned, and were not current members of their state houses, were not counted in these figures.
| Houses with limits | Majority party | Seats in house | Up for election in 2016 | Seats impacted by term limits | Party with most losses |
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| Arizona: (House), (2016 elections) | 60 | 60 | 1 |
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| Arkansas: (House), (2016 elections) | 100 | 100 | 0 | N/A | |
| California: (Assembly), (2016 elections) | 80 | 80 | 8 |
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| Colorado: (House), (2016 elections) | 65 | 65 | 7 |
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| Florida: (House), (2016 elections) | 120 | 120 | 8 |
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| Maine: (House), (2016 elections) | 151 | 151 | 14 |
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| Michigan: (House), (2016 elections) | 110 | 110 | 11 |
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| Missouri: (House), (2016 elections) | 163 | 163 | 10 |
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| Montana: (House), (2016 elections) | 100 | 100 | 6 |
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| Nevada: (House), (2016 elections) | 42 | 42 | 2 |
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| Ohio: (House), (2016 elections) | 99 | 99 | 3 |
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| Oklahoma: (House), (2016 elections) | 101 | 101 | 9 |
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| South Dakota: (House), (2016 elections) | 70 | 70 | 5 |
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| Totals: | (3) |
1,261 | 1,261 | 84 |
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States
Arizona
All of Arizona's 60 state representative seats are up for election on November 8. Arizona representatives serve two-year terms with a four-term/eight-year limit that was imposed by Proposition 107 in 1992. Arizona's term limits apply to parts of terms and not just full terms.
There are 60 members of the Arizona House of Representatives. In the 2016 state house elections, five representatives, one Democrat and four Republicans, were ineligible to run again in November.
There was one Arizona state senator who was termed out in 2016.
The state representatives who are term-limited in 2016 were:
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Arkansas
The Arkansas House of Representatives has been a term-limited state house since Arkansas voters approved the Arkansas Term Limits Initiative in 1992 as an initiated constitutional amendment. In 2014, voters approved the Arkansas Elected Officials Ethics, Transparency and Financial Reform Amendment which permits legislators to serve a total of 16 years in the House or Senate during his or her lifetime.
There are 100 members of the Arkansas House of Representatives. In 2016, no current members were ineligible to run again in November.
Also, no Arkansas state senators were also termed out.
California
The California State Assembly has been a term-limited state house since California voters approved Proposition 140 in 1990. Under the terms of Proposition 140, the members of the state assembly can serve no more than three two-year terms in the state assembly. This is a lifetime limit, as is the case in five other states with state legislative term limits.
There are 80 members of the California State Assembly. In 2016, fourteen of them who were current members, eight Democrats and six Republicans, were ineligible to run again in November.
In addition to the 14 California state representatives who left office because of term limits, six California state senators were also termed out.
The state representatives who are term-limited in 2016 were:
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Colorado
The Colorado House of Representatives has been a term-limited state house since Colorado voters approved Issue 5 in 1990. The affirmative vote by Colorado's electorate in Issue 5 altered Section 3 of Article V on the Colorado Constitution to say that Colorado State Representatives could serve no more than four two-year terms in office.
There are 65 members of the Colorado House of Representatives. In 2016, eight of them who were current members, seven Democrats and one Republican, were ineligible to run again in November.
In addition to the eight Colorado state representatives who left office because of term limits, ten Colorado state senators were also termed out.
The state representatives who are term-limited in 2016 were:
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Florida
The Florida House of Representatives has been a term-limited state house since Florida voters approved Amendment 9 in 1992. Amendment 9 altered Article VI, section 4 of the Florida Constitution to impose a maximum of four two-year terms on Florida State Representatives.
There are 120 members of the Florida House of Representatives. In 2016, 21 of them who were current members, eight Democrats and 13 Republicans, were ineligible to run again in November.
In addition to the 21 Florida state representatives who left office because of term limits, seven Florida state senators were also termed out.
The state representatives who are term-limited in 2016 were:
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Maine
The Maine House of Representatives has been a term-limited state house since Maine voters approved Question 1 in 1993. Under this law, state representatives can serve no more than four consecutive two-year terms. The Maine State Legislature tried, unsuccessfully, in 2007 to get the state's voters to extend the number of years they could consecutively serve in office by putting the Maine Term Limits Extension act on the ballot. Voters overwhelmingly rejected it with 67 percent of the vote.
There are 151 voting members of the Maine House of Representatives. In 2016, 16 of them who were current members, fourteen Democrats and two Republicans, were ineligible to run again in November.
In addition to the 16 Maine state representatives who left office because of term limits, two Maine state senators were also termed out.
The state representatives who are term-limited in 2016 were:
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Michigan
The Michigan House of Representatives has been a term-limited state house since Michigan voters approved Proposal B in 1992. Proposal B created Section 54 of Article IV of the Michigan Constitution. It says that state representatives are limited to three two-year terms. As with five other states, this is a lifetime limit.
There are 110 members of the Michigan House of Representatives. In 2016, 38 of them who were current members, eleven Democrats and 27 Republicans, were ineligible to run again in November.
The state representatives who are term-limited in 2016 were:
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Missouri
The Missouri House of Representatives has been a term-limited state house since Missouri voters approved Amendment 12 in 1992. Amendment 12 created Section 8 of Article III of the Missouri Constitution, limiting members of the state house to 4 two-year terms. As with five other states, this is a lifetime limit. (Section 8 was later amended by Amendment 3 in 2002 so that it does not apply to partial terms.)
There are 163 members of the Missouri House of Representatives. In 2016, twenty-two of them who were current members, ten Democrats and 12 Republicans, were ineligible to run again in November.
In addition to the 22 Missouri state representatives who left office because of term limits, four Missouri state senators were also termed out.
The state representatives who are term-limited in 2016 were:
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Montana
The Montana House of Representatives has been a term-limited state house since Montana voters approved CI-64 in 1992. C-64 created Section 8 of Article IV of the Montana Constitution, which says that Montana State Representatives cannot serve 8 or more years in any 16-year period.
There are 100 members of the Montana House of Representatives. In 2016, thirteen of them who were current members, six Democrats and seven Republicans, were ineligible to run again in November.
In addition to the 13 Montana state representatives who left office because of term limits, eleven Montana state senators were also termed out.
The state representatives who are term-limited in 2016 were:
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Nevada
- See also: Nevada State Assembly elections, 2016
2010 was the first year that some Nevada State Representatives are ineligible to run for office because of the term limits law first passed in 1994.
Nevada voters approved Question 9A in 1996. Question 9A was a second vote on a term limits amendment first approved in 1994. Alone among the states with ballot initiatives, Nevada voters must approve a proposed constitutional amendment twice before it goes into the Nevada Constitution. The 1994 and 1996 votes cumulatively led to Paragraph 2 of Section 3 of Article 4 of the Nevada Constitution, which says, "No person may be elected or appointed as a member of the Assembly who has served in that Office, or at the expiration of his current term if he is so serving will have served, 12 years or more, from any district of this State."
There are 42 members of the Nevada State Assembly. In 2016, two of them who were current members, Democrats Marilyn Kirkpatrick and Harvey Munford, were ineligible to run again in November.
Ohio
The Ohio House of Representatives has been a term-limited state house since Ohio voters approved Ballot Issue 4, an initiated constitutional amendment, in 1992. This amendment became part of Section 2 of Article II of the Ohio Constitution and limits the amount of time that an Ohio State Representative can stay in office to four two-year terms, saying, "No person shall hold the office of State Representative for a period longer than four successive terms of two years. Terms shall be considered successive unless separated by a period of four or more years."
There are 99 members of the Ohio House of Representatives. In 2016, thirteen of them who were current members, three Democrats and 10 Republicans, were ineligible to run again in November.
In addition to the 13 Ohio state representatives who left office because of term limits, three Ohio state senators were also termed out.
The state representatives who are term-limited in 2016 were:
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Oklahoma
The Oklahoma House of Representatives has been a term-limited house of representatives since Oklahoma voters approved State Question 632 in 1990, as an initiated constitutional amendment. This amendment became part of Section 17A of Article V of the Oklahoma Constitution and limits the amount of time that an Oklahoma State Representative can serve to a cumulative total of 12 years in either or both chambers of the Oklahoma State Legislature.
There are 101 members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. In 2016, nineteen of them who were current members, nine Democrats and ten Republicans, were ineligible to run again in November.
In addition to the 19 Oklahoma state representatives who left office because of term limits, eleven Oklahoma state senators were also termed out.
The state representatives who are term-limited in 2016 were:
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South Dakota
The South Dakota House of Representatives has been a term-limited house of representatives since South Dakota voters approved Ballot Issue A in 1992, an initiated constitutional amendment. This amendment became part of Section 6 of Article III of the South Dakota Constitution and limits the amount of time that a South Dakota Representative can stay in office to no more than four consecutive two-year terms.
The South Dakota State Legislature has tried on more than one occasion, each time unsuccessfully, to persuade the state's voters to repeal term limits. The most recent such failed attempt was when Amendment J lost in 2008 by 75 percent of the vote.
There are 70 members of the South Dakota House of Representatives. In 2016, fifteen of them who were current members, five Democrats and 10 Republicans, were ineligible to run again in November.
In addition to the fifteen South Dakota state representatives who left office because of term limits, five South Dakota state senators were also termed out.
The state representatives who are term-limited in 2016 were:
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See also
- State legislatures with term limits
- Impact of term limits on state senate elections in 2016
- Impact of term limits on state legislative elections in 2016
Footnotes
