Uncategorized/ Spring 1998

Term Limits and Turnover

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Massachusetts is above the national average in turnover among state Senators, but is lower than average in the House. A term limits law was approved by the voters in 1994 but was thrown out by the Supreme Judicial Court last July. Though 21 states have passed term limit laws, there are only 18 with term limits in place. California’s law was upheld in December, but Washington’s was overturned on the same grounds as in Massachusetts: the law must be passed as a constitutional amendment, not a statute. For voters here to enact a constitutional amendment it must win at least 25 percent of the support of two successive legislative sessions and then be approved by the statewide electorate. That means term limits could not be enacted again until November of 2002. “We’re sort of in limbo right now,” says term limits proponent Dorothea Vitrac. But she says she plans to start organizing the effort next year.

Senate Turnover, 1987-1997
(States with term limits in italics, with year law was passed.)
Rank State Total Members New Members Percent Turnover
1. Maine (’93) 35 35 100
2. Arizona (’94) 30 28 93
3. S. Dakota (’92) 35 31 89
4. Vermont 30 26 87
5. Wyoming (’92) 30 26 87
6. Alaska 20 17 85
7. Louisiana (’95) 39 33 85
8. Massachusetts 40 34 85
9. Hawaii 25 21 84
10. Connecticut 36 30 83
11. Kansas 40 33 83
12. New Hampshire 24 20 83
13. Utah (’94) 29 24 83
14. Kentucky 38 31 82
15. West Virginia 34 28 82
16. Texas 31 25 81
17. Georgia 56 45 80
18. North Carolina 50 40 80
19. Washington 49 39 80
20. Mississippi 52 41 79
21. California (’90) 40 31 78
22. Florida (’92) 40 31 78
23. Iowa 50 39 78
24. Montana (’92) 50 39 78
25. Colorado (’90) 35 27 77
26. Rhode Island 50 38 76
27. Idaho (’94) 35 26 74
28. New Mexico 42 31 74
29. Oregon (’92) 30 22 73
30. Wisconsin 33 24 73
31. Nebraska 49 35 71
32. Alabama 35 24 69
33. Michigan (’92) 38 26 68
34. North Dakota 49 33 67
35. Missouri (’92) 34 22 65
36. Virginia 40 26 65
37. Oklahoma (’90) 48 30 63
38. Delaware 21 13 62
39. Minnesota 67 41 61
40. Ohio (’92) 33 20 61
41. South Carolina 46 28 61
42. Maryland 47 28 60
43. New Jersey 40 24 60
44. Illinois 59 34 58
45. Indiana 50 29 58
46. Tennessee 33 19 58
47. Arkansas (’92) 35 20 57
48. Nevada (’94) 21 11 52
49. Pennsylvania 50 26 52
50. New York 61 29 48
  Total 1,984 1,433 72
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House of Representatives Turnover, 1987-1997
Rank State Total Members New Members Percent Turnover
1. California 80 80 100
2. Maine 151 149 99
3. Arizona 60 55 92
4. Alaska 40 36 90
5. Washington 98 88 90
6. West Virginia 100 90 90
7. Kansas 125 110 88
8. Oklahoma 101 89 88
9. Oregon 60 52 87
10. South Dakota 70 61 87
11. Utah 75 65 87
12. New Hampshire 400 340 85
13. Vermont 150 127 85
14. Iowa 100 84 84
15. Montana 100 84 84
16. North Dakota 98 82 84
17. Colorado 65 54 83
18. Wyoming 60 50 83
19. Hawaii 51 42 82
20. South Carolina 124 100 81
21. Missouri 163 130 80
22. Connecticut 151 119 79
23. Florida 120 95 79
24. New Jersey 80 63 79
25. North Carolina 120 92 77
26. Tennessee 99 76 77
27. Texas 150 116 77
28. Illinois 118 90 76
29. Louisiana 105 80 76
30. Michigan 110 84 76
31. Nevada 42 32 76
32. Arkansas 100 75 75
33. Rhode Island 100 75 75
34. Massachusetts 160 119 74
35. Minnesota 134 99 74
36. Pennsylvania 203 150 74
37. Georgia 180 132 73
38. Idaho 70 51 73
39. Wisconsin 99 72 73
40. Kentucky 100 72 72
41. Alabama 105 74 70
42. Mississippi 122 86 70
43. Maryland 141 94 67
44. New Mexico 70 47 67
45. Indiana 100 64 64
46. Virginia 100 64 64
47. New York 150 95 63
48. Ohio 99 61 62
49. Delaware 41 19 46
  Nebraska (Unicameral)      
  Total 5,440 4,258

84

Source: The Decline of Representative Democracy (Alan Rosenthal), based on data from National Conference of State Legislatures.