Say No to Term Limits

Recently, we’ve been reading a lot about term limits and whether or not it should be repealed. The Patriots believe that mandated term limits are undemocratic and greatly diminish the power of the voter. In addition, term limits create “lame duck” elected officials who are more concerned with looking for their next job rather than focusing on issues and problems facing their constituencies. It also prevents voters from re-electing a person who has done and exemplary job and forces them to choose a new candidate who has yet to prove themselves as an effective representative. Conversely, term limits prohibits voters to exact the ultimate measure of their power to vote someone out of office who has failed them.

Lame duck officials forced out by term limits are in the strange position of not facing the consequences of their actions in the next election and are generally not accountable during their last term in office. They also tend to have less political power as other elected officials and see less advantage in cooperating with them. In addition, city agencies are less likely to respond in a timely manner to lame ducks and important district projects are put on the shelf until after the election. In addition, lame duck executives are notorious for issuing a series of executive orders, making appointments or doling out favors during their last days in office that they would not otherwise have done if it would have influenced the vote against them.

Voters should have the opportunity to reward an individual who has represented his district effectively by being able to re-elect that person. We should value public servants who have faithfully executed their oath of office and afford voters the choice to keep effective elected officials in office instead of losing them to term limits. It is unfair to deny that right to the public and undermines the democratic process.

The most effective way to show a politician our dissatisfaction is to vote him or her out of office. Term limits takes this power away from the voter and allows the representative to walk away from office because of term limits rather than his failure to fulfill his duties to the community. Voters should be the judge of an individual’s ability or inability to perform their duties as an elected official not term limits.

Term limits gives power to party bosses and their machines while reducing the influence of voters on government. Moreover, voters are more intelligent and politically savvy than we are given credit for. The American voter is fully capable in determining who deserves to be elected and who needs to be voted out of office. So we say not to term limits and yes to voter’s rights.