Effort to Tighten Arkansas Term Limits OK'd for Ballot

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A proposal to cap lawmakers' total time in the Arkansas Legislature to 10 years was approved for the November ballot on Friday, sending voters a measure that if approved would impose the strictest legislative term limits in the country.

The secretary of state's office said supporters of the proposed constitutional amendment submitted 93,998 valid signatures from registered voters, clearing the nearly 85,000 that were needed to qualify for the November ballot. Arkansas Term Limits, the group behind the proposal, submitted more than 124,000 signatures last month.

The measure would limit Arkansas lawmakers to two four-year terms in the Senate and three two-year terms in the House, with a total cap of 10 years in office. A 2014 voter-approved measure loosened Arkansas' term limits and allowed lawmakers a total of 16 years in the House, Senate or a combination of both. Under Arkansas' current limits, some lawmakers can be in office longer than 16 years if they serve partial terms due to redistricting or a special election.

"If eight years is good enough for the president of the United States, the leader of the free world and a guy with, I don't know, a million employees and a gazillion dollar budget, 10 years is probably ok for legislators in Arkansas," said Tom Steele, chairman of Arkansas Term Limits.

Read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/arkansas/articles/2018-08-03/effort-to-tighten-arkansas-term-limits-okd-for-ballot