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Should members of Congress have term limits?
Currently, the US Congress has no term limits imposed on members; therefore, politicians can run as many times as they are re-elected. Nevertheless, seventy-four percent of likely voters are in favor of congressional term limits. Term limits have long been argued to be an easy way to improve the effectiveness of Congress. Proponents of term-limits argue that term limits would allow members to spend less time fundraising for re-election and more time legislating. They also believe it will lead lawmakers to make unpopular but necessary decisions without fear of retaliation from voters, and avoid the corruptive influence of special interests that many assume is an inevitable result of spending too much time in Washington, D.C. In addition, proponents reason, new blood in Congress is a good thing.
New members bring fresh ideas and aren’t beholden to the old ways of Washington that have left so many voters frustrated and Congress’ approval rating in shambles. At the very least, term limits would prevent members from being reelected despite serving long past their primes. But not everyone is on board with the idea of term-limits (watch the video below).
Question: Should members of Congress have term limits? What are the benefits and drawbacks of term limits? Will imposing terms limits make elected representatives more accountable to the people, or does it invite more partisanship? What do you think?