Congressional Term Limits Essay Example

Participating in elections is a fundamental right for every citizen since they can choose leaders with a vision and strategy to bring about economic development, reduce taxes and government spending, and create more jobs for the citizens. Periodic elections ensure that representatives act in the best interests of the people. Voters can utilize periodic polls to retrospectively sanction elected officials and prospectively select effective candidates who will share their policy goals and bring adequate development (Klasnja and Titiunik 129). In recent years, placing limits on the number of terms that legislators can serve in public office has attracted attention. Limiting the chances of a leader being reelected back to the office is a reflection of the nature and abuse of power and lack of incentives that leaders portray when they understand that the position they hold is permanent. The focus of the essay is that limiting the number of times politicians can be reelected to Congress must be enacted because continuous reelection of the same people impedes the effectiveness of the government. Moreover, the essay proposes that Congress needs term limits to limit the influence of special interest groups, to help introduce new ideas, and to encourage active representation.

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Public opinions indicate strong support for term limits. The voters have illustrated their sentiments by passing significant initiatives through the ballot. In 1990 and 1994, voters in twenty-one states approved measures hindering legislators from serving for a second term (Karp 373). The passing of incentives by the public is an indication of their frustration with the government, dissatisfaction with Congress, legislators, and the lack of confidence in government. Term limits allow voters to express their anger and frustration on lousy governance and serves as a means of reforming the system (Karp 374). Congress has been under severe scrutiny due to its poor performance. The unbalanced federal budget, scandals in Congress, and the investigation by the media led voters to lose their trust in Congress and push for reform by passing term limits (Karp 375). Equally important, the voting mechanism that supports the inclusion of term limits serves to discipline the incumbents and ensure they behave in a manner congruent with voter's needs (Leguizamon and Crowley 24). The voters choose to vote inconsistent leaders out of office and select fresh faces that will bring change and adhere to the needs of the voters. The term limits are essential since they hinder an individual from being elected for life.

Special interest groups have played a significant part in ensuring the term limits are adopted and implemented for the benefit of the voters. Populist movements argue that term limits will increase turnover and reform the culture of careerist politicians. The interest groups also posit that the voter turnout culminating from the term limits will create more civic-minded citizens who will bring competition during elections. Additionally, the term limits will increase the number of open seats and minimize the number of uncontested elections (Kuhlman and Lewis 373). Open seat elections will create an appropriate playing field where newcomers will win elective positions without having to compete against well-established incumbents. Open seat races attract citizen participation in the election, and new faces are elected in the office with the expectation to bring new ideas to the particular offices and serve the people accordingly. The new faces will aspire to bring accountability in governance and government projects to benefit the citizens. Term limits are essential because senior politicians have built the reputation for themselves, have access to funding, and have more connections that can guarantee they maintain their positions. Term limits reduce the powers of the senior politicians and create room for fresh individuals to be elected and serve the people without any ties that could lead to misappropriation of funds or any other illegalities.

The issue of term limits has brought about opposing views. According to Burgat, term limits take power away from the voters. Term limits also decrease congressional capacity. Creating legislation policy is a daunting task that requires experience. Burgat argues that the public is not well served by inexperienced members who are expected to formulate laws (par.8). The author further posits that designing policies requires member-to-member interactions between individuals who are experienced in their field. Strong relationships with staff members will result in the formulation of well-thought policies. However, term limits hamper the relationships between staff members to develop. Strangers in a new position will have a difficult time to trust and rely on the help of their colleagues (Burgat par.11). Term limits are also said to kick out effective leaders, is ineffective in minimizing corrupt behavior, and limits incentives for gaining policy expertise.

Although Burgat argues that term limits lead to the retrenchment of effective leaders in office and minimal mitigation of vices such as corruption, it is evident from the various studies selected in this paper that term limits are critical to the voters to ensure new leaders are selected who have a different vision and policy strategy than the incumbents. Term limits attract people to politics; hence, influencing their decisions to choose new members once they are dissatisfied with the performance of Congress, the political process, and greediness by the incumbent leaders. Term limits increase accountability in governance because the new leaders will strive to meet the needs of the people to sustain their elected positions.

Conclusion

The paper has focused on term limits and its importance towards ensuring Congress acts in favor of the people. Arguments for and against term limits have been presented with the outcome indicating that term limits are essential because they ensure proper governance, electoral accountability, the creation of civic-minded citizens, and a generation of the new breed of leaders who are appealing to the citizens and also capable of formulating policies that will favor voters interests.

Works Cited

Burgat, Casey. "Five Reasons to Oppose Congressional Term Limits." Brookings, Brookings, 18 Jan. 2018, www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2018/01/18/five-reasons-to-oppose-congressional-term-limits/.https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2018/01/18/five-reasons-to-oppose-congressional-term-limits/

Karp, Jeffrey A. "Explaining Public Support for Legislative Term Limits." The Public Opinion Quarterly, vol. 59, no. 3, 1995, pp. 373-391. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2749758.

KLASNJA, MARKO, and ROCAO TITIUNIK. "The Incumbency Curse: Weak Parties, Term Limits, and Unfulfilled Accountability." The American Political Science Review, vol. 111, no. 1, 2017, pp. 129-148. ProQuest, https://search-proquest.com.ezproxy1.apus.edu/docview/1871485033?accountid=8289, doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy1.apus.edu/10.1017/S0003055416000575.

Kuhlmann, Robyn, and Daniel C. Lewis. "Legislative Term Limits and Voter Turnout ." State Politics and Policy Quarterly, vol. 17, no. 4, 7 July 2017, pp. 372-392., doi:0.1177/153244001771882821. http://journals.sagepub.com.ezproxy1.apus.edu/doi/pdf/10.1177/1532440017718821

Leguizamon, J. S., and George R. Crowley. "Term Limits, Time Horizons and Electoral Accountability." Public Choice, vol. 168, no. 1-2, 2016, pp. 23-42. ProQuest, https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy1.apus.edu/docview/1803257698?accountid=8289, doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy1.apus.edu/10.1007/s11127-016-0347-2.