2018 Term Limits Initiative Election Results Across the USA
California | Colorado | Florida | Hawaii | Illinois | Missouri | Nebraska | Ohio | New York | Tennessee | Texas | Wisconsin
Term limits initiatives across the country win nearly every time by an overwhelming margin. From our research this year, nearly 40 ballot initiatives have won by large majorities but less than 10 have lost by close margins.
We’ve compiled a list of the term limits initiatives this year that include both implementing term limits and defending them when the ballot question seeks to increase or abolish existing limits. In most cases, where term limits win, they win by 70% or more. In the few initiatives where term limits have lost (see the Ohio referenda below), they do so by only a few percentage points equating to very few votes. This emphasizes the importance of getting out to vote on these important term limits referenda no matter what time of the year they appear on your ballot.
California
Camarillo City: Measure M to limit Camarillo city council members to a lifetime term limit of two four-year terms has been placed on the November ballot, thanks to a petition drive run by Camarillo Citizens for Term Limits (Facebook Page: bit.ly/2O19tFb). The group’s refrain: “Yes on Measure M, No on Measure E.” Measure E is a weaker, council-referred measure that would limit tenure to three consecutive four-year terms.
No 42.77%
Term Limits Win!
Chico City: Measure S – A yes vote favors amending section 401 of the Chico City Charter to limit city council members to no more than three terms.
No 31%
Term Limits Win!
Desert Hot Springs:
Measure U retains two year term for mayor with no term limits
No 65.22%
Term Limits Win!
No 46.83%
Term Limits Win!
El Dorado County: Measure U, Board of Supervisors Term Limits Amendment to provide one additional four year term of office be added to extend allowed terms to three, such that Board members shall be limited to three consecutive terms
No 76.53%
Term Limits Win!
Folsom: Measure C, City Council Member Term Limit Amendment to impose term limits on the Folsom City Council. Currently, there is no limit on the number of terms a Council member may serve.
No 20.73%
Term Limits Win!
Lake Forest: Measure S, City Council Term Limits -limiting the terms of Lake Forest City Council Members to two (2) four (4) year terms
No 17.3%
Term Limits Win!
Long Beach: On August 7, the Long Beach City Council voted unanimously to refer a charter question to ballot to lengthen its maximum tenure from two terms to three terms. The Signal Tribune says that the amendment would “create” a three-term limit for mayor and city council, noting only much later in the story that a two-term limit for these positions already exists. The possibility of winning a third term by write-in votes under the current law enables proponents of this three-term limit to pretend that by getting rid of the write-in option, they are cleaning up and tightening the law. Of course, it would have been easy to eliminate the (rarely successful) write-in option and keep the two-term limit.
No 44.38%
Term Limits Loss
Menifee: Measure J, Term Limits Elimination-eliminating the city’s term limits of two consecutive terms or eight consecutive years for city council members.
No 71.14%
Term Limits Win!
National City:
Yes 48.58%
No 51.42%
Term Limits Win!Measure C, Initiative to Preserve and Impose Proposition T Term Limits (June 2018) preserving the existing term limits of three consecutive four-year terms on the office of mayor and (2) imposing the same limits on council members, the city clerk, and the city treasurer.
Yes 55.11%
No 44.89%
Term Limits Win!
Newport-Mesa Unified School District, Measure H, Board Term Limits – limiting the terms of board members to three consecutive four-year terms after which former board members may serve again after a break in service.
No 16.2%
Term Limits Win!
Ojai: Measure K, Mayoral Elected Office Term Extension – a measure designed to extend to term of the elected office of the mayor.
No 67.14%
Term Limits Win!
Palo Alto: Unified School District, Measure Y, Board Term Limits – limiting Palo Alto Unified School District board members to two consecutive terms in office.
No 27.68%
Term Limits Win!
Perris: Measure H, establishing a lifetime limit of three terms on mayor, city council, and city clerk.
No 22.5%
Term Limits Win!
Pinole: Measure P, the City Council’s plan to eliminate its own term limits (June 2018) was defeated by the voters.
No 78.86%
Term Limits Win!
San Diego: To their credit, the San Diego city council unanimously sent a measure to the November ballot to eliminate a term limits loophole whereby members can serve longer than the two-term maximum if redistricting happens to alter which district they’re serving in (or if they simply move from one district to another).
Yes 77.53%
No 22.47%
Term Limits Win!
Measure K: would eliminate a controversial term limits loophole that allows some City Council members to serve longer than the voter-approved, two-term maximum if the district where they live changes.
Yes 87.4%
No 12.6%
Term Limits Win!
Santa Monica: Measure TL would limit Santa Monica council members to three four-year terms “whether consecutive or not.” The council had “grudgingly” placed the question on the ballot, a formality they had little choice but to follow through on after citizens gathered enough valid petition signatures.
No 26.35%
Term Limits Win!
Southwest Community College District: Measure CC, Term Limits for Governing Board Members-limits members of the Governing Board from serving more than three terms in office. The limitation will apply only to terms that begin on or after December 1, 2018. Current and past members of the Governing Board may serve an additional three terms. The three term limit is a life-time limitation. Once a member has served three terms, they may never again be elected to the office, even if there is a gap between terms. Any member who serves more than one-half of a term will be deemed to have served a full term.
No 11%
Term Limits Win!
Colorado
Larimer County 2017 Issue 1B ballot question to remove term limits on offices of Assessor, Treasurer, Clerk and Recorder, Sheriff.
No 31%
Term Limits Win!
Florida
Aventura: By 70% to 30%, on August 28, Aventura voters passed a referendum to drop the city charter’s rule prohibiting termed-out city commissioners from running for mayor. Mayors and commissioners will now each be subjected to two consecutive four-year terms.
No 30%
Term Limits Win!
Clay County:
Commissioners: Voters rejected a charter amendment to change the term limits for county commissioners from two consecutive four-year terms to three consecutive four-year terms, while imposing a lifetime term limit of three four-year terms for county commissioners.
No 69.21%
Term Limits Win!
Constitutional Officers: Voters approved a charter amendment placing term limits on constitutional offices of three consecutive four-year terms.
No 43.97%
Term Limits Win!
No 66%
Term Limits Win!
Polk County: Yes to extend the terms of Polk County Commissioners.
No 26 %
Term Limits Loss
Hawaii
Kauai County overwhelmingly votes to keep term limits on Councilmembers when asked to repeal existing limits.
No 74.1%
Term Limits Win!
Illinois
McHenry County: A county-referred measure on the November ballot would limit the county board chairman to a maximum of two four-year terms and would limit county board members to three four-year terms. Board Chairman Jack Franks says, “It is my hope that our actions here [for term limits and other reforms] will spread to other counties, and force our state lawmakers to follow our lead.”
Yes 91%
No 8.8%
Term Limits Win!
Yes 91%
No 8.5%
Term Limits Win!
No 7.8%
Term limits non-binding Win!
Missouri
We would like to report to you, however, that voters approved of term limits of three four-year terms on the offices of sheriff and county prosecutor.
No %
Term Limits Win!
Nebraska
Lincoln: The citizens of Lincoln approved a charter amendment that limits the Lincoln mayor to three consecutive terms. The measure would apply retroactively, ending the three-term tenure of Lincoln’s current mayor, Chris Beutler. In late August, the city council did place the question on the ballot as required, with a title stressing the fate of the incumbent if the measure passes: “Mayoral term limits charter amendment that will disqualify the incumbent mayor from serving another term and prevent future mayors from serving more than three consecutive terms.”
No 47%
Term Limits Win!
New York
Brookhaven: The town board of Brookhaven has referred a measure that combines two term-related changes. If voters approve, the individual terms of board members will be increased from two years to four years, and a maximum tenure of three four-year terms will be imposed on board members. Term limits will not be retroactive for current officials.
No 41.85%
Term Limits Win!
New York City: Prop. 3 – Among other reforms for the November ballot, New York City’s Charter Review Commission has proposed consecutive term limits of four two-year terms (eight years) for members of community boards. Four out of five borough presidents object to the ballot proposal. The exception is the borough president of Brooklyn, Eric Adams, who submitted written testimony to the CRC in support of community board term limits.
No 27.63%
Term Limits Win!
Ohio
Canfield: Eliminate Canfield Council term limits.
No 38%
Term Limits Loss
Seven Hills: The city council of Seven Hills has referred a measure to the November ballot to prevent “seat jumping” from an at-large council seat to a ward council seat and vice versa as a way to escape the town’s consecutive term limits. “You will be allowed to serve four consecutive [two-year] terms, whether you’re an at-large councilperson or ward councilperson,” explains Council President Anthony Biasiotta.
No 17%
Term Limits Win!
Youngstown: The Youngstown city council has referred a measure to the November ballot to repeal the term limits on itself. City voters approved the charter amendment to eliminate term limits for council members and for council president.
Yes 50.86%
No 49.14%
Term Limits Loss
Eliminate Council President Term Limits
Yes 51.73%
No 48.27%
Term Limits Loss
Tennessee
Memphis: Ordinance No. 5676 to extend Mayoral term limits to three four-year terms.
No 60%
Term Limits Win!
Nashville: Amendment 1 extends term-limits of council members from two four-year terms to three four-year terms (originally adopted by voters in 1990s).
No 54.38
Term Limits Win!
Texas
Arlington: Proposition No. 1 imposing a limit of three terms or six years in all for mayor and city council members.
No %
Term Limits Win!
Wisconsin
Green Bay: The residents of Green Bay overwhelmingly passed an initiative to term-limit the mayor to three consecutive four-year terms, alderman to six consecutive two-year terms, and municipal judges to three consecutive four-year terms.
No 13.46%
Term Limits Win!