News

Question Five extends terms in state legislature

Voters to decide on lengthening legislative terms from four to six years

By Kassandre Moulton

Posted on Nov. 01, 2007, at 12:00 a.m.

Students at the University of Maine have heard about the Nov. 6 vote, especially Questions Three and Four, which pertain to the University of Maine.

Bond Question Five asks voters “Do you favor extending term limits from four to six terms?”

The current legislative term statute, voted in by referendum in 1993, prevents state legislators from seeking a fifth consecutive term. However, the margin was thin, with about 68 percent of voters agreeing with the bond, according to the Bangor Daily News.

The research for the bond was conducted by Richard Powell, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Maine and director of the Maine Congressional Internship Program. Rich Jones of the National conference of State Legislatures also participated in the research. The final research report, released in 2004, found Maine’s term limit laws were about median compared to other states. The report estimated the vote could have been attributed to a series of scandals in the Maine legislature in the early ’90s, in which a long-serving legislator was suspected of tampering with ballots.

The governor passed Question Five, formerly known as LD 1928, onto voters and signed the bill “Passed to be enacted” on June 29 of this year.

Though the assumption might be that all state legislators would be for extending term limits, in fact, opinions are split, as with voters.

“It [the term limit] should stay four years, just in case we get a moron in there-it’s two less years of grief,” Stanley MacArthur, a first-year business administration major, said.

Edward Ropple, second-year computer science student, agreed. “The longer a politician stays in office, the more injurious they potentially become to the public good. I’d be far more in favor of one term and out.”

Some voting students feel that a term limit extension would only benefit the legislative system.

“Extending term limits only makes for a more experienced legislature,” Derek Wheelden, a third-year soon-to-be political science and philosophy major, said. “I would have no problem giving them unlimited terms. They still have to be voted in every couple of years. An amateur legislature is not a good thing.”

Supporters of Question Five include the Maine League of Women Voters, who argues that not limiting terms allows for a more effective legislature. Opponents of Question Five consist of No More Than Four, a group specifically created to combat Question Five. This group thinks that the current term limits are effective and should not be tampered with.

If Question Five were to pass, legislators who are in the process of serving their fourth term would not be allowed to be re-elected next session. The bond would take effect the following term.

UMaine students can vote on campus or in their hometown, whichever location they define as their permanent residence.

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