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Latest Answers http://askyourlawmaker.org/answers/latest/%2A/295/%2A/%2A a view of answers sorted by date en <p>Well, term limits was part of the ‘Contract With America’, we had a vote on the floor that would have made federal term limits to 12 years, 6 terms, because there was a court case out in California that indicated that the state referendums like in Ohio were unconstitutional. It failed and as a result we don’t have federal term limits. And now that I’ve been here for a little bit I see that my opinion, two opinions, I think term limits has ruined the state legislature in Ohio and given us a lot of bad government. And B- when you have members that have been here 30-40 years and you say well, okay, I’m going to be here 12, you put your district at competitive disadvantage because this place runs on seniority, the longer you’ve been here -and in terms of committee assignments- the more you can get done for your district and I can do probably 100 times more than I could in 1994. Maybe it shouldn’t be that way, but as long as, what you don’t want to do is unilaterally disarm. And I mean if we all term limits, that’s why I supported it, that’s why I voted for it- but for somebody in Ohio to say ‘well, I’m going to leave’, then the guys in Michigan are just going to take it all up.</p> http://askyourlawmaker.org/answers/%2526lt%3Bp%2526gt%3Bwell%2C-term-limits-was-part-%2526amp%3Blsquo%3Bcontract-america%2526amp%3Brsquo%3B%2C-we-had-vote-floo http://askyourlawmaker.org/answers/%2526lt%3Bp%2526gt%3Bwell%2C-term-limits-was-part-%2526amp%3Blsquo%3Bcontract-america%2526amp%3Brsquo%3B%2C-we-had-vote-floo#comments Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:41:30 -0500 Jodi Breisler 1505 at http://askyourlawmaker.org Well as you know the way this is done, it's really handled by the state legislature. The state legislature, every year right after the census is done, will go ahead and consider the reapportionment. I served in the state legislature 14 years, one year as Secretary of State, so I went through one redistricting as a state legislator and then another one as Secretary of State, so it is something we need to look at because there have been in certain circumstances, even here in the state of Texas, where it got too partisan. The Supreme Court actually--my district was one of the ones that got affected because it was just too partisan and it affected community of interest. There are some proposals out there that some states have looked at and that is setting up an independent commission. This independent commission would sit down and do the lines. That is one option available is having some sort of independent commission where it is not done by the state legislature. http://askyourlawmaker.org/answers/well-you-know-way-done%2C-it%2526%2523039%3Bs-really-handled-state-legislature.-state-legislature%2C-every Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:24:08 -0500 elombardo 1235 at http://askyourlawmaker.org It’s not unconstitutional to protect incumbents. It is unconstitutional to deny people a vote based on race or other factors that should not be a matter of discrimination. The role of Congress in redistricting is rather limited and it goes to those Constitutional questions relating to equal access to voting. The real issue for redistricting is a state issue and, yeah, there’s a lot of antagonism about how states are doing it. The recent California redistricting was one of the most interesting I’ve ever seen. It was all about incumbency, Democrat and Republican, and not at all about and not at all I think about some of the more important issues. http://askyourlawmaker.org/answers/it%E2%80%99s-not-unconstitutional-protect-incumbents.-it-unconstitutional-deny-people-vote-based-rac Fri, 04 Apr 2008 13:52:19 -0500 1202 at http://askyourlawmaker.org I think it is democracy. We are a democratic republic. The way the system is set up provides a slight advantage a slight boost to smaller states. I don’t think they would ever vote to give them up. The smaller states would resist, correctly, because that is one of the commitments they were given when they entered the Union. http://askyourlawmaker.org/answers/i-think-it-democracy.-we-are-democratic-republic.-way-system-set-provides-slight-advantage-s Wed, 20 Feb 2008 20:41:03 -0600 1105 at http://askyourlawmaker.org I think the electoral college has a good reason that its in place. Its to make sure every state has the ability to decide who are next representatives are, that it’s not just dominated by the most populated states. http://askyourlawmaker.org/answers/i-think-electoral-college-has-good-reason-its-place.-its-make-sure-every-state-has-ability-d Wed, 20 Feb 2008 15:39:18 -0600 1087 at http://askyourlawmaker.org