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Impact of term limits on state senate 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 senators in 13 states with state legislative term limits took place on November 8, 2016.
There are 15 states with state legislative term limits, but Louisiana and Michigan did not hold state senate elections in 2016.
In 2016, 66 current state senators were ineligible to run for re-election because of term limits.
This included:
- 29 incumbent Democrats
- 26 incumbent Republicans
- 11 incumbent nonpartisans
Differential impact on parties
Going into the 2016 elections, the Democratic Party was the majority party in one of the 14 state senates with term limits. The Republican Party was the majority in 12 of the 14 state senates with term limits. Nebraska's state senate is term-limited and officially nonpartisan.
- In five states, more Democrats were term limited than Republicans. In California, the majority party was Democratic. In Colorado, Maine, Montana and Ohio, the majority party was Republican.
- In five states, more Republicans were term limited than Democrats. In Arizona, Florida, Missouri, Oklahoma and South Dakota, the majority party was Republican.
- There were no Arkansas or Nevada senators affected by term limits in 2016.
- Michigan, which has Republican majorities in both chambers, did not hold state Senate elections in 2016. Louisiana, which elects its legislators every four years in odd years, also did not hold state senate elections.
Senates with elections
Note: The figures in Column 5 ("Seats impacted by term limits") only reflects current members of state senates who were unable to run for re-election to their state's senate in 2016 because of term limits. In some cases, state senators who would have been unable to run for re-election in November resigned before the end of their term. Senators who resigned, and were not current members of their state senates at the end of 2015, were not counted in these figures.
| Senate with limits | Majority party | Seats in senate | Up for election in 2016 | Seats impacted by term limits | Party with most losses |
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| Arizona: (Senate), (2016 elections) | 30 | 30 | 0 |
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| Arkansas: (Senate), (2016 elections) | 35 | 17 | 0 | N/A | |
| California: (Senate), (2016 elections) | 40 | 20 | 5 |
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| Colorado: (Senate), (2016 elections) | 35 | 18 | 7 |
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| Florida: (Senate), (2016 elections) | 40 | 20 | 2 |
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| Maine: (Senate), (2016 elections) | 35 | 35 | 2 |
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| Missouri: (Senate), (2016 elections) | 34 | 17 | 3 |
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| Montana: (Senate), (2016 elections) | 50 | 25 | 6 |
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| Nebraska: (Senate), (2016 elections) | 49 | 24 | 11 |
N/A | |
| Nevada: (Senate), (2016 elections) | 21 | 11 | 0 | N/A | |
| Ohio: (Senate), (2016 elections) | 33 | 17 | 2 |
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| Oklahoma: (Senate), (2016 elections) | 48 | 24 | 4 |
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| South Dakota: (Senate), (2016 elections) | 35 | 35 | 1 |
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| Totals: | (1) |
523 | 331 | 29 |
5 |
States
Arizona
- See also: Arizona State Senate elections, 2016
There are 30 Arizona State Senators, all of whom were up for re-election in November. Arizona senators 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.
In the 2016 elections, one Arizona state senator, Steve Pierce (R), was affected by term limits. In the House, five state representatives were termed out.
Arkansas
- See also: Arkansas State Senate elections, 2016
The Arkansas State Senate has been a term-limited state senate 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 35 Arkansas State Senators, 18 of whom were up for re-election in November. In 2016, no current members were ineligible to run for re-election in November.
Also, no state representatives were termed out.
California
- See also: California State Senate elections, 2016
The California State Senate has been a term-limited state senate since California voters approved Proposition 140 in 1990. In 2012, California voters approved Proposition 28, which reduced the total number of years a politician can serve in the California State Legislature from 14 years to 12 years. It permits a politician to serve in either or both chambers of the legislature for a maximum of 12 years. The changes did not apply to any legislator who was already in office at the time that the initiative was approved; the rules governing the terms of those who are in the California State Legislature as of June 5, 2012, are calculated under the previous rules.
There are 40 California State Senators. In 2016, six who were current members, five Democrats and one Republican, were ineligible to run for re-election in November.
In addition to the six state senators who were required to leave office because of California's term limits, 14 state representatives were also termed out.
The state senators who are term-limited in 2016 were:
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Colorado
- See also: Colorado State Senate elections, 2016
The Colorado State Senate has been a term-limited state senate 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 Senators could serve no more than two four-year terms in office.
There are 35 Colorado State Senators. In 2016, nine who were current members, seven Democrats and three Republicans, were ineligible to run for the senate again in November.
In addition to the nine state senators who were required to leave office because of term limits, eight state representatives were also termed-out.
The state senators who are term-limited in 2016 were:
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Florida
- See also: Florida State Senate elections, 2016
The Florida State Senate has been a term-limited state senate since Florida voters approved Amendment 9 in 1992. Amendment 9 altered Article VI, section 4 of the Florida Constitution to impose a maximum of two 4-year terms on Florida State Senators.
There are 40 Florida State Senators. In 2016, five who were current members, two Democrats and three Republicans, were ineligible to run for re-election in November.
In addition to the five state senators who were required to leave office because of term limits, twenty-one state representatives were also termed-out.
The state senators who are term-limited in 2016 were:
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Maine
- See also: Maine State Senate elections, 2016
The Maine State Senate has been a term-limited state senate since Maine voters approved Question 1 in 1993. Under this law, state senators 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 by 67 percent of the vote.
There are 35 Maine State Senators. In 2016, two who were current members, Democrats Stanley Gerzofsky and Justin Alfond, were ineligible to run for re-election in November.
In addition to the state senators who were required to leave office because of term limits, 16 state representatives were also termed out.
Missouri
- See also: Missouri State Senate elections, 2016
The Missouri State Senate has been a term-limited state senate since Missouri voters approved Amendment 13 in 1992. Amendment 13 created Section 8 of Article III of the Missouri Constitution, limiting state senators to 2 4-year terms. This is a lifetime limit, as is the case in 5 other states with state legislative term limits. Section 8 was later amended by Amendment 3 in 2002 so that it does not apply to partial terms.
Altogether, there are 34 Missouri State Senators. In 2016, three of them who were current members, all Republicans, were ineligible to run for the senate again in November.
In addition to the three state senators who were required to leave office because of term limits, twenty-two state representatives were also termed-out.
The state senators who are term-limited in 2016 were:
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Montana
- See also: Montana State Senate elections, 2016
The Montana State Senate has been a term-limited state senate 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 Senators cannot serve 8 or more years in any 16-year period as a state senator.
Altogether, there are 50 Montana State Senators. In 2016, eleven of them who were current members, six Democrats and five Republicans, were ineligible to run for the senate again in November.
In addition to the 11 state senators who were required to leave office because of term limits, thirteen state representatives were also termed out.
The state senators who are term-limited in 2016 were:
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Nebraska
- See also: Nebraska State Senate elections, 2016
The Nebraska State Senate has been a term-limited state senate since Nebraska voters approved Initiative 415 (2000). Under the terms of Initiative 415, Nebraska's senators can serve no more than two consecutive four-year terms in the state senate.
There are 49 Nebraska State Senators. In 2016, 11 current members were ineligible to run for the Senate again in November.
The senators ineligible to run for re-election were:
Non-Partisan (11):
- Heath Mello
- Bob Krist
- Tanya Cook
- Ken Haar
- Kathy Campbell
- Colby Coash
- Mike Gloor
- Galen Hadley
- Beau McCoy
- Kate Sullivan
- Ken Schilz
Nevada
- See also: Nevada State Senate elections, 2016
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 4 of Article 4 of the Nevada Constitution, which says, "No person may be elected or appointed as a Senator 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."
Altogether, there are 21 Nevada State Senators. In the 2016 state senate elections, there were no senators who are termed out. However, two state representatives were termed out.
Ohio
- See also: Ohio State Senate elections, 2016
The Ohio State Senate has been a term-limited state senate 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 Senator can stay in office to two four-year terms, saying, "No person shall hold the office of State Senator for a period longer than two successive terms of four years." Senators can run for office again after being out-of-office for at least a four-year period.
There are 33 Ohio State Senators. In 2016, three of them who were current members, two Democrats and one Republican, were ineligible to run for the senate again in November.
In addition to the three state senators who left office because of term limits, 13 state representatives were also termed out.
The state senators who are term-limited in 2016 were:
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Oklahoma
- See also: Oklahoma State Senate elections, 2016
The Oklahoma State Senate has been a term-limited state senate 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 Senator can serve to a cumulative total of 12 years in either or both chambers of the Oklahoma State Legislature.
Altogether, there are 48 Oklahoma State Senators. In 2016, eleven of them who were current members, four Democrats and seven Republicans, were ineligible to run for re-election in November.
In addition to the 11 state senators who were required to leave office because of term limits, nineteen state representatives were also termed out.
The state senators who are term-limited in 2016 were:
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South Dakota
The South Dakota State Senate has been a term-limited state senate 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 State Senator 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.
Altogether, there are 35 South Dakota State Senators. In 2016, four of them who were current members, one Democrat and three Republicans, were ineligible to run for the senate again in November.
In addition to the four state senators who were required to leave office because of term limits, fifteen state representatives were also termed out.
The state senators who are term-limited in 2016 were:
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See also
- State legislatures with term limits
- Impact of term limits on state representative elections in 2016
- Impact of term limits on state legislative elections in 2014
- Impact of term limits on state legislative elections in 2012
- Impact of term limits on state legislative elections in 2010
Footnotes
