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The proposal to let Maine legislators serve six terms in a row is defeated by 2-1.

From staff reports November 7, 2007

Voters Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to extend legislative term limits by four years.

The statewide referendum asked whether voters wanted to extend from four to six the number of consecutive two-year terms that state lawmakers may serve until they are forced to step down.

The referendum was being defeated by a 2-1 margin late Tuesday.

Lawmakers introduced the referendum, which proposed the first significant change to Maine's term limits legislation since it was passed in 1993.

The proposal drew little interest from political activists until the final days of the campaign.

Supporters of the extension argued that term limit guidelines have weakened the Legislature since they took effect in 1996. The limits brought to Augusta inexperienced lawmakers whose lack of institutional memory has led to logjams in the legislative process, they said.

Opponents said the new faces at the State House have prevented lawmakers from becoming too entrenched. They noted the state's constitution prevents the governor from serving for more than eight years, but no one has challenged that cap.

Maine is one of 15 states with term limits for state lawmakers. Nine of those states, including Maine, allow term-limited lawmakers to reclaim their seats in the State House after sitting out for awhile -- in Maine's case, two years.