Features of State Legislatures

Length of terms:Representatives •Senators How vacancies are filled in state legislatures States with a full-time legislature Legislatures with multi-member districts State legislatures with term limits Comparison of state legislative salaries When legislators assume office? State constitutions State legislative sessions State legislative walkouts Candidate requirements by state Resign-to-run laws Minority and coalition control of state legislative chambers, 1994-Present Veto overrides in state legislatures Elected officials expelled from state legislatures Primary runoffs

Thelength of terms of state representatives in the 49 American lower chambers is either two years or four years.

Representatives in five states (Alabama,Louisiana,Maryland,Mississippi andNorth Dakota) have a four-year term. Representatives in 44 states have a two-year term.

In contrast, term lengths of state senators are generally longer. State senators in only 12 states serve two-year terms. Thirty states have four-year terms for state senators. In the remaining eight states, senators serve one two-year term and two four-year terms every ten years in the 2-4-4 term system.

See also:Length of terms of state senators

Length of terms

In the map below, the five dark blue states represent the lower chambers with four-year terms:Alabama,Louisiana,Maryland,Mississippi andNorth Dakota. The light blue states represent those with two-year terms.

State legislatures with term limits

See also:State legislatures with term limits

In15 state legislatures,state legislators are subject toterm limits. Voters in six additional states voted to have term limits, only to have those votes nullified. In two cases, the state legislature voted to nullify the limits imposed by voters, while in four other states, courts nullified the voter-imposed limits, primarily for technical reasons.

Lifetime versus consecutive

Legislative term limits can be either lifetime or consecutive. In the ten states where the limits are consecutive, once a state legislator has served the maximum number of terms in office, he or she, if eligible, can run for office for the state's other legislative chamber, or leave the legislature. These states areArizona,Arkansas,Colorado,Florida,Louisiana,Maine,Montana,Nebraska,Ohio, andSouth Dakota. After a period of time no longer in office in a particular legislative chamber, however, the legislator is allowed to run again for office in that legislative chamber. The period of time that a legislator must be out of office before being able to run again is usually two years.

In five of the 15 states with limits on state legislators, the limit is a lifetime limit. These states areCalifornia,Michigan,Missouri,Nevada, andOklahoma. In these states, once a legislator has served the maximum allowable number of terms in a particular legislative chamber, they may never again run for or hold office in that particular chamber.^[1]

See also

• Length of terms of state senators
• State legislatures with term limits
• State legislatures

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• National Conference of State Legislatures

Footnotes

v • e State legislatures Legislatures Alabama (H,S) ·Alaska (H,S) ·Arizona (H,S) ·Arkansas (H,S) ·California (A,S) ·Colorado (H,S) ·Connecticut (H,S) ·Delaware (H,S) ·Florida (H,S) ·Georgia (H,S) ·Hawaii (H,S) ·Idaho (H,S) ·Illinois (H,S) ·Indiana (H,S) ·Iowa (H,S) ·Kansas (H,S) ·Kentucky (H,S) ·Louisiana (H,S) ·Maine (H,S) ·Maryland (H,S) ·Massachusetts (H,S) ·Michigan (H,S) ·Minnesota (H,S) ·Mississippi (H,S) ·Missouri (H,S) ·Montana (H,S) ·Nebraska ·Nevada (A,S) ·New Hampshire (H,S) ·New Jersey (GA,S) ·New Mexico (H,S) ·New York (A,S) ·North Carolina (H,S) ·North Dakota (H,S) ·Ohio (H,S) ·Oklahoma (H,S) ·Oregon (H,S) ·Pennsylvania (H,S) ·Rhode Island (H,S) ·South Carolina (H,S) ·South Dakota (H,S) ·Tennessee (H,S) ·Texas (H,S) ·Utah (H,S) ·Vermont (H,S) ·Virginia (H,S) ·Washington (H,S) ·West Virginia (H,S) ·Wisconsin (A,S) ·Wyoming (H,S) 2026 State legislative elections (2026) •State legislative special elections (2026) • Primary dates and filing requirements •2026 Session Dates 2025 State legislative elections (2025) •State legislative special elections (2025) •Primary dates and filing requirements •2025 Session Dates 2024 State legislative elections (2024) •State legislative special elections (2024) •Primary dates and filing requirements •2024 Session Dates 2023 State legislative elections (2023) •State legislative special elections (2023) •Primary dates and filing requirements •2023 Session Dates Historical elections 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 •2018 •2017 •2016 •2015 •2014 •2013 •2012 •2011 •2010 •2009 •2008 •2007 •2006 •2005 •2004 •2003 •2002 •2001 •2000 Features of state legislatures How vacancies are filled in state legislatures •States with a full-time legislature •State legislatures with term limits •Comparison of state legislative salaries •When state legislators assume office after a general election •Population represented by state legislators •State constitutional articles governing state legislatures •State legislative sessions •Resign-to-run law •State legislature candidate requirements by state •Official names of state legislatures •State legislative chambers that use multi-member districts •Factors Affecting Competitiveness in State Legislative Elections State senates Length of terms of state senators •State senators •Partisan composition of state senates •State senators sorted by year first elected State houses Length of terms of state representatives •State representatives •Partisan composition of state houses •State representatives sorted by year first elected Leadership positions President of the Senate •President Pro Tempore •Senate Majority Leader •Senate Minority Leader •House Majority Leader •House Minority Leader •State Speaker of the House