Polls & Research
Archive Search
Many Americans Want Term Limits in Congress
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Seven-in-ten adults in the United States support a change in the guidelines for Congressional elections, according to a poll by Opinion Dynamics released by Fox News. 70 per cent of respondents favour limiting the number of terms for members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
The House of Representatives has 435 members, elected to two-year terms in single-seat constituencies. The Senate has 100 members, elected to six-year terms in dual-seat constituencies, with one-third being renewed every two years. The members of the House of Representatives and the Senate can run for an unlimited number of terms.
In the early 1990s, 23 American states approved initiatives that sought to place congressional term limits on federal lawmakers. In May 1995, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled—in a 5-4 decision—that individual states cannot impose qualifications on federal senators or representatives other than those specified in the U.S. Constitution.
The website of an organization called Time for Term Limits states: "Since the 1900’s, particularly since the Seventeenth Amendment, we’ve seen the size and scope of government grow. We’ve seen increased regulation, inflation and taxation. We’ve seen men and women make Congress a career and completely forget about those who put them in office."
Polling Data
Do you favour or oppose limiting the number of terms members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, including your own senators and representatives, can serve?
|
Mar. 2009 |
Jun. 2005 |
|
|
Favour |
70% |
68% |
|
Oppose |
24% |
21% |
|
Don’t know |
6% |
11% |
Source: Opinion Dynamics / Fox News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 900 American registered voters, conducted on Mar. 3 and Mar. 4, 2009. Margin of error is 3 per cent.