Governors in 40 states are limited to two terms or less and 15 states have outright term limits for all state legislators. It is time Illinois did the same.
Establishing term limits for state legislators would create more competition, prevent corruption and get more citizens interested in politics. But the main goal of term limits is to limit power in state government because long-time office holders have too much.
Illinois governmental leaders have a lot of power. They appoint members to committee, decide which bills to vote on and have major influence on the state budget. Politicians who hold these leadership positions only gain power over time. For example, Mike Madigan has been House Speaker since 1983, except for a two-year period. With term limits, there would be new leaders every few years, which would mean fresh committee members and a change in issues discussed.
One problem with long terms is conflict of interest. This is an issue for all politicians, but especially for politicians that have been in office longer and have created more political ties. Pleasing constituents is important for reelection, which causes politicians to put their campaign contributions before voters’ interests. Term limits would make these conflicts of interest less relevant because politicians would be on the move and unable to establish control in an area.
Another benefit of term limits is the competition it will create. One of political science’s favorite discoveries is incumbency advantage. According to a study by Boston College and Yale University, 75 percent of incumbents in Senate elections have won reelection since 1946. In House elections, 92 percent of incumbents have won. Politicians build up too much power over long tenures, which gives them this advantage.
One major perk of incumbency advantage is campaign contributions. According to a report by OpenSecrets.org on the latest Illinois election, incumbents in the Senate earned about $5.8 million more than challengers in average campaign earnings. In the House, incumbents earned about $375,000 more. How can challengers compete with this?
Another statistic from this study shows politicians’ average earnings in open seat elections were $962,000 in the Senate and $211,000 in the House. These contributions surpass challengers to incumbents, showing how the incumbency advantage discourages formidable opponents from running for office.
Challengers do not enjoy the opportunities incumbents receive. Because incumbents receive free television time and stronger funding, voters know one candidate when they get to the voting booth. Politicians know of incumbency advantage, so minority parties do not put their best challengers in hopeless elections. The only way change will occur is if politicians are forced out of office. With an open seat, two fresh politicians will start on a level playing field and create more interest among voters.
Eliminating incumbency advantage and establishing term limits will create competition. Not only will there be more open seat elections, but politicians will have to do well in their position to move to a higher one. This also coincides in preventing corruption in government. In order to move up the political ladder, politicians must not ruin their chances by getting involved in unethical practices.
We believe enacting a term limit would be the best way to address these issues. This requires an amendment to the state constitution. The next time Illinois voters could vote on such a proposition would be November of 2010.
We favor term limits for all elected state officials, which would limit their tenure in one office to eight consecutive years. Executive officials, such as the governor, the attorney general and the secretary of state, and members of the Illinois Senate would be limited to two four-year terms. Members of the House would be limited to four two-year terms. After his or her term is exhausted, the politician may seek another office at another level. We also support a provision that would allow politicians to run for an office they have exhausted after a grace period of one election cycle.
Term limits will shake up Illinois government and allow for more change, which is what our state needs.
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