44.04.015 - Term limits. - Washington Statutes

Term limits.

(1) No person is eligible to appear on the ballot or file a declaration of candidacy for the house of representatives of the legislature who, by the end of the then current term of office will have served, or but for resignation would have served, as a member of the house of representatives of the legislature during six of the previous twelve years.

     (2) No person is eligible to appear on the ballot or file a declaration of candidacy for the senate of the legislature who, by the end of the then current term of office will have served, or but for resignation would have served, as a member of the senate of the legislature during eight of the previous fourteen years.

     (3) No person is eligible to appear on the ballot or file a declaration of candidacy for the legislature who has served as a member of the legislature for fourteen of the previous twenty years.

[1993 c 1 § 3 (Initiative Measure No. 573, approved November 3, 1992).]

Notes: Preamble -- 1993 c 1 (Initiative Measure No. 573): "The people of the state of Washington find that:

     (1) The people will best be served by citizen legislators who are subject to a reasonable degree of rotation in office;

     (2) Entrenched incumbents have become indifferent to the conditions and concerns of the people;

     (3) Entrenched incumbents have an inordinate advantage in elections because of their control of campaign finance laws and gerrymandering of electoral districts;

     (4) Entrenched incumbency has discouraged qualified citizens from seeking public office;

     (5) Entrenched incumbents have become preoccupied with their own reelection and devote more effort to campaigning than to making legislative decisions for the benefit of the people;

     (6) Entrenched incumbents have become closely aligned with special interest groups who provide contributions and support for their reelection campaigns, give entrenched incumbents special favors, and lobby office holders for special interest legislation to the detriment of the people of this state, and may create corruption or the appearance of corruption of the legislative system;

     (7) The people of Washington have a compelling interest in preventing the self-perpetuating monopoly of elective office by a dynastic ruling class.

     The people of the state of Washington therefore adopt this act to limit ballot access of candidates for state and federal elections." [1993 c 1 § 1 (Initiative Measure No. 573, approved November 3, 1992).]

Severability -- 1993 c 1 (Initiative Measure No. 573): "If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected." [1993 c 1 § 10 (Initiative Measure No. 573, approved November 3, 1992).]