Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Floridians love term limits!

A Quinnipiac University poll dated April 15, 2009, shows that across Florida, 79% of respondents opposed extending state legislative term limits from eight to 12 years. According to the executive summary, "Opposition is strong among all political groups and throughout the state."

This is right in line with a 2010 poll that suggests that 78 percent of Americans support term limits on the U.S. Congress, including 84 percent of Republicans and 74 percent of Democrats and independents.

Where they get the opportunity, voters enact new limits. In 2010 in Cape Canaveral, voters imposed 8-year term limits on their mayor and council members by a 70-30% margin.

Where politicians have tried to overturn them, citizen opposition has risen up in defense of the laws that voters initiated and approved. For example, West Palm Beach citizens shot down Mayor Lois Frankel's attempt to get around her city's popular eight-year term limit in 2010.