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Impact of term limits on state representative elections in 2020
| State legislative term limits analysis | |
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| Impact of term limits by year |
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| Arizona・Arkansas California・Colorado Florida・Maine・Michigan Missouri・Montana Nevada・Ohio Oklahoma・South Dakota |
| State legislatures with term limits |
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| 2020 state legislative elections |
Of the 86 state legislative chambers that held elections in 2020, 11 house chambers included incumbents who were unable to run for re-election due to term limits.[1] In the 23 chambers affected by term limits in 2020, 1,356 seats were up for election. Louisiana was the only state with term limits that did not have a general election in 2020. Nebraska does not have a state House. The Arkansas House of Representatives and California State Assembly were up for election in 2020 and have term limits, but no representatives were impacted by term limits in 2020.
There are 99 chambers throughout the country. In 29 legislative chambers across 15 states, state legislators are subject to term limits. In the United States, there are 1,972 state senate seats and 5,411 state House seats. Of the 1,972 senate seats, 562 seats (29 percent) are subject to term limits. Of the 5,411 house seats, 1,368 seats (25 percent) are subject to term limits.
Term-limited representatives by state
The map below displays the 15 states that use term limits for state legislators. All 15 states held elections in 2020 except Louisiana. Louisiana holds elections every four years in odd numbered years. Click on a state below to see the total number of termed-out state representatives in 2020 as well as a breakdown of the partisan totals for the legislative chamber.
State Houses with the biggest term limit impacts
- The Missouri House of Representatives had the highest percentage of state representatives term-limited in 2020. Of the 163 seats up for election, 34 Missouri representatives, or 21 percent of the chamber, was term-limited in 2020.
State House with the smallest term limit impacts
- The Arkansas House of Representatives and California State Assembly were tied with the lowest impact by term limits in the 2020 elections. The second-lowest number of term-limited representatives was in Nevada. The Nevada State Assembly had one state representative term-limited out of the 42 seats up for election in 2020, or 2 percent of the chamber.
Differential impact on parties
Term limits can often have an impact on the competitiveness of a state legislative election because term limits create open seats. Open seats are believed to be more electorally competitive than seats in which an incumbent is running for re-election because incumbents tend to win re-election. A 2015 study by Ballotpedia found that in state legislative elections between 1972 and 2014, the incumbency win rate never fell below 90 percent, with the exception of 1974 when 88 percent of incumbents won re-election.
In total, 150 state representatives associated with either the Democratic or Republican parties—61 Democratic and 89 Republican—were term-limited in 2020. One independent incumbent was also term-limited.
| 2020 term-limited state house elections | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Majority party |  Democraticterm-limited |
 Republicanterm-limited |
 Nonpartisanterm-limited |
Seats up in 2020 | % of seats |
| Arizona | Republican | 1 | 4 | 0 | 60 | 8.3% |
| Arkansas | Republican | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0.0% |
| California | Democratic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 80 | 0.0% |
| Colorado | Democratic | 4 | 5 | 0 | 65 | 13.8% |
| Florida | Republican | 7 | 11 | 0 | 120 | 15.0% |
| Maine | Democratic | 18 | 3 | 1 | 151 | 14.6% |
| Michigan | Republican | 12 | 10 | 0 | 110 | 20.0% |
| Missouri | Republican | 6 | 28 | 0 | 163 | 20.9% |
| Montana | Republican | 7 | 9 | 0 | 100 | 16.0% |
| Nevada | Democratic | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 2.4% |
| Ohio | Republican | 4 | 8 | 0 | 99 | 12.1% |
| Oklahoma | Republican | 0 | 4 | 0 | 101 | 4.0% |
| South Dakota | Republican | 2 | 6 | 0 | 70 | 11.4% |
| Total | --- | 61 | 89 | 1 | 1261 | 12.0% |
States
Arizona
The Arizona House of Representatives has been a term-limited state House since Arizona passed Proposition 107 in 1992. Arizona representatives serve two-year terms with a four-term/eight-year term limit. Arizona's term limits apply to parts of terms and not just full terms.
All 60 seats in the Arizona House of Representatives were up for election in 2020. In the 2020 elections, five representatives were ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state representatives were term limited in 2020:
Democratic: (1)
Republicans (4):
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 a legislator to serve a total of 16 years in the House or Senate during his or her lifetime.
All 100 seats in the Arkansas House of Representatives were up for election in 2020. In the 2020 elections, no state representatives were ineligible to run because of term limits.
California
The California State Assembly has been a term-limited state House 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.
All 80 seats in the California State Assembly were up for election in 2020. In the 2020 elections, no state representatives were ineligible to run because of term limits.
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 state representatives could serve no more than four two-year terms in office.
All 65 seats in the Colorado House of Representatives were up for election in 2020. In the 2020 elections, nine representatives were ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state representatives were term limited in 2020:
Democratic: (4)
Republicans (5):
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 state representatives.
All 120 seats in the Florida House of Representatives were up for election in 2020. In the 2020 elections, 18 representatives were ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state representatives were term limited in 2020:
Democratic: (7)
- Barbara Watson
- Bruce Antone
- Clovis Watson Jr.
- Kionne McGhee
- Richard Stark
- Sharon Pritchett
- Shevrin Jones
Republicans (11):
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.
All 151 seats in the Maine House of Representatives were up for election in 2020. In the 2020 elections, 22 representatives were ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state representatives were term limited in 2020:
Democratic: (18)
Republicans (3):
Independent (1):
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.
All 110 seats in the Michigan House of Representatives were up for election in 2020. In the 2020 elections, 22 representatives were ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state representatives were term limited in 2020:
Democratic: (12)
Republicans (10):
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 four two-year terms during their lifetime. (Section 8 was later amended by Amendment 3 in 2002 so that it does not apply to partial terms.)
All 163 seats in the Missouri House of Representatives were up for election in 2020. In the 2020 elections, 34 representatives were ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state representatives were term limited in 2020:
Democratic: (6)
Republicans (28):
- Bryan Spencer
- Chrissy Sommer
- Dave Muntzel
- David Wood
- Dean Dohrman
- Donna Pfautsch
- Elaine Gannon
- Elijah Haahr
- Glen Kolkmeyer
- Holly Rehder
- Jeff Justus
- Jeff Messenger
- Jeff Pogue
- Jim Hansen
- Jim Neely
- Kathy Swan
- Ken Wilson
- Lynn Morris
- Mike Moon
- Noel Shull
- Robert Ross
- Rocky Miller
- Sheila Solon
- Sonya Anderson
- Steve Lynch
- Tim Remole
- Tom Hurst
- Warren Love
Montana
The Montana House of Representatives has been a term-limited state House since Montana voters approved CI-64 in 1992. CI-64 created Section 8 of Article IV of the Montana Constitution, which says that state representatives cannot serve eight or more years in any 16-year period.
All 100 seats in the Montana House of Representatives were up for election in 2020. In the 2020 elections, 16 representatives were ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state representatives were term limited in 2020:
Democratic: (7)
Republicans (9):
- Alan Doane
- Alan Redfield
- Carl Glimm
- Daniel Zolnikov
- Greg Hertz
- Kerry White
- Nancy Ballance
- Ray Shaw
- Tom Burnett
Nevada
- See also: Nevada State Assembly elections, 2020
The Nevada State Assembly has been a term-limited state House since 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."
All 42 seats in the Nevada State Assembly were up for election in 2020. In the 2020 elections, one representative was ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state representative was term limited in 2018:
Democratic: (0)
- No Democratic representatives were term limited in 2020.
Republicans (1):
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 state representatives 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."
All 99 seats in the Ohio House of Representatives were up for election in 2020. In the 2020 elections, 12 representatives were ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state representatives were term limited in 2020:
Democratic: (4)
Republicans (8):
- Anthony DeVitis
- Doug Green
- Gary Scherer
- James Butler
- John Becker
- Mark Romanchuk
- Rick Perales
- Ron Hood
Oklahoma
The Oklahoma House of Representatives has been a term-limited state House 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 state representatives can serve to a cumulative total of 12 years in either or both chambers of the Oklahoma State Legislature.
All 101 seats in the Oklahoma House of Representatives were up for election in 2020. In the 2020 elections, four representatives were ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state representatives were term limited in 2020:
Democratic: (0)
- No Democratic representatives were term limited in 2020.
Republicans (4):
South Dakota
The South Dakota House of Representatives has been a term-limited state House 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 state representatives can stay in office to no more than four consecutive two-year terms.
All 70 seats in the South Dakota House of Representatives were up for election in 2020. In the 2020 elections, eight representatives were ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state representatives were term limited in 2020:
Democratic: (2)
Republicans (6):
See also
- State legislative elections, 2020
- Impact of term limits on state legislative elections in 2020
- Impact of term limits on state representative elections in 2020
- State legislatures with term limits
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Arkansas House and California House were up for election in 2020 and have term limits, but no incumbents were term-limited in 2020.
- ↑ Some of the 211 term-limited state legislators in 2020 may have resigned before their term ends. These legislators were still counted in the total number of term-limited legislators in 2020.
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