Did You Know: Term Limits

Term limits: a statutory restriction on the number of terms an official or officeholder may serve.

 


On Nov. 3, 1992, Missouri voters approved, by a margin of 75 percent, an amendment to the state’s constitution (Article III, Section 8) limiting the years a legislator may serve in the General Assembly. Prior to this provision, Missouri had no legislative term limits.

As originally adopted, the amendment limited the service of individuals elected to the General Assembly to a maximum of eight years in the Missouri House of Representatives and eight years in the Missouri Senate. The amendment also excluded from term-limit calculations any legislative service initiated from elections held prior to the original term limits effective date of December 3, 1992.

In 2002, voters amended the term limit provision (Article III, Section 8) to allow those filling seats vacated after a term’s midpoint the opportunity to subsequently run for up to four complete two-year House terms and/or up to two complete four-year Senate terms. Prior to this provision, any partial service counted as a full term, effectively becoming the first of four possible two-year House terms and/or the first of two possible four-year Senate terms.

Lawmakers completing unexpired terms at the time of the partial service provision’s 2002 passage would still have to count their partial service as full terms in term-limit calculations.

 


District
Senator
First Elected* Party Ineligible for Re-Election Notes
1st 2020 D 2028
2nd 2022 R 2030
3rd 2020 R 2028
4th 2018 D 2026
5th 2020 D 2028
6th 2018 R 2026
7th 2020 D 2028
8th November 2017 R 2026 2
9th 2020 D 2028
10th 2022 R 2030
11th 2016 D 2024
12th 2022 R 2030
13th 2020 D 2028
14th 2018 D 2026
15th 2016 R 2024
16th 2018 R 2026
17th June2018 D 2024 3
18th 2018 R 2026
19th 2016 R 2024
20th 2022 R 2030
21st 2016 R 2024
22nd 2022 R 2030
23rd 2016 R 2024
24th 2022 D 2030
25th 2020 R 2028
26th 2022 R 2030
27th 2020 R 2028
28th August 2017 R 2026 1
29th 2020 R 2028
30th 2018 R 2026
31st 2020 R 2028
32nd 2022 R 2030
33rd 2020 R 2028
34th 2018 R 2026

 


* Entries with a month denote a special election

Notes
2. Senator Mike Cierpiot won a November 2017 special election to complete a vacated term of fewer than two years. He was able to run for a full term in 2018 and was successful.
3. Senator Lauren Arthur won a June 2018 special election to complete a vacated term of more than two years. She was able to run for a full term in 2020 and was successful.
1. Senator Sandy Crawford won a August 2017 special election to complete a vacated term of fewer than two years. She was able to run for a full term in 2018 and was successful.

 

 

Missouri Constitution
Article III – Legislative Department
Section 8 – Term limitations for members of the General Assembly

Term limits language as originally adopted November 3, 1992
No one shall be elected or appointed to serve more than eight years total in any one house of the General Assembly nor more than sixteen years total in both houses of the General Assembly. In applying this section, service in the General Assembly resulting from an election or appointment prior to the effective date of this section shall not be counted.

Current term limits language as amended November 5, 2002, to include the partial service provision
No one shall be elected to serve more than eight years total in any one house of the General Assembly nor more than sixteen years total in both houses of the General Assembly. In applying this section, service in the General Assembly resulting from an election prior to December 3, 1992, or service of less than one year, in the case of a member of the house of representatives, or two years, in the case of a member of the senate, by a person elected after the effective date of this section to complete the term of another person, shall not be counted.

 

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