USA 2024 Elections Thread

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Voters Want Age And Term Limits For Elected Officials

Authored by Brett Lloyd via RealClear Wire,

At a time when divisive American political rhetoric drives the
headlines, and sentiment on elected officials and the direction of the
country is bleak, it’s hard to find solutions in which Democrats,
independents, and Republicans agree. However, in looking at “age
limits” or “term limits” for federally elected officials, it’s clear
these are two issues that gain vast amounts of support from across the
political spectrum.

In the most recent Bullfinch Group National Survey of 1,200 American
adults, respondents were asked if they “support or oppose ‘term
limits’ for members of Congress and the U.S. Senate, which would limit
the amount of terms an elected official is allowed to serve?” While
some may be surprised to see that more than 8 in 10 adults support
term limits (81%), what may be more striking is the near identical
support shown by self-identified Democrats, independents, and
Republicans:

Whatever you personally feel about term limits, one only has to look
at the abysmal job approval of Congress, along with a possible (if
only partial) “solution” that garners 80% support among Democrats, 81%
among independents, and 82% among Republicans as at least the
beginnings of a workable issue that we as Americans can get behind.

Furthermore, of the 38 different questions asked to respondents in the
survey, only one saw sentiment among Republicans and Democrats more
aligned: the question of age limits. When respondents were asked if
they “support or oppose ‘age limits’ for members of Congress, the U.S.
Senate, and the President of the United States, which would serve as
an upper age limit for federally elected officials?” over
three-quarters of adults supported age limits (78%), with support
among self-identified Democrats and Republicans at 80% and 81%
respectively:

If we believe the national studies that show congressional job
approval in the dumps, that show favorability of elected officials
could be better, or that show a majority of Americans thinking some of
our elected officials are too old to productively carry out another
term, then we need to be looking for tri-partisan solutions aimed
directly at improving the offices and office holders in this country.
Age limits and term limits seemingly fit that bill.

… Now the only problem: getting our elected officials to agree.

Brett Loyd is president and CEO of The Bullfinch Group.