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 in state senates in the 50 American state senates is either two years or four years.

Senators in 30 states have a four-year term. Senators in 12 states have a two-year term. Senators in eight states (Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey and Texas) have terms that are sometimes two years and sometimes four years, depending on the proximity of the election to thelegislative re-apportionments that occur every 10 years after a federal census. A system with senators who serve one two-year term and two four-year terms every ten years is considered a2-4-4 term system.

See also:Length of terms of state representatives

Length of terms

• In the 12 states where the length of the term is two years, all state senate seats are up for re-election every two years.

• Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont

• In the 38 states with either a four-year term or a 2-4-4 term, 27 states have staggered elections so that approximately half of state senate seats are up for re-election during the state's general elections that take place every two years.

• Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

• In the 11 other states where the term is either four years or a 2-4-4, all seats come up for re-election during the same year. In those states, there are general election years where no state senate seats are at stake.

• Alabama, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Carolina, Virginia

Determining term lengths after redistricting

Following redistricting, states holding staggered elections where senators serve 2-4-4 terms must determine when senators serve their two-year terms. Here's how each state handles that selection:

• Arkansas: State senators draw random lots. Half serve a two-year term immediately, while the other half serve a four-year term.^[2]
• Delaware: Specific districts follow either a 4-4-2 or 2-4-4 schedule. The state has used the same schedule since 1980.^[3]
• Florida: Odd-numbered districts are up for election in even years that are multiples of four, and even-numbered districts are up in even years that are not multiples of four.^[4]
• Hawaii: During the redistricting process, the redistricting commission selects 12 districts that will serve a two-year term to start the decade. The other 13 districts serve regular four-year terms.^[5]
• Illinois: At the beginning of the first legislative session after redistricting, the legislature passes a bill dividing the districts into three groups: the first is elected to 4-4-2 year terms, the second is elected to 4-2-4 year terms, and the third is elected to 2-4-4 year terms.^[6]
• Texas: State senators draw random lots. Half serve a two-year term immediately, while the other half serve a four-year term.^[7]

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.^[8]

See also

• Length of terms of state representatives
• 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