Terms for Debate: A Study of Term Limits in Small-Scale Democracy

A study on the causes of term limits at the local level of government in the United States was carried out using a qualitative, case study approach. Twenty cases of local government that experienced campaigns to implement term limits were examined through public record and various media sources. Information on the political actors, elected officials, and electorate of each case was collected in all cases, and the narratives of each movement were examined from the birth of each movement to its current state. Comparisons of all cases were then conducted, examining them through the lens of Progressive values.