We believe that the way to address these underlying problems, however, is through fundamental political reform that curbs the undue influence of campaign contributions over government decisions, creates the opportunity for challengers to run competitive campaigns against incumbents and makes Members of Congress accountable to their constituents, not to monied interests. We believe that a competitive and accountable political marketplace in which citizens are free to vote for whichever congressional candidates they wish to support is the way to revitalize our democracy. We believe that the vote should continue to be the way in which citizens limit terms for Members of Congress. We believe it should be up to constituents, not a constitutional amendment, to decide when to end the service of a Representative or Senator. To Vote Term limits for Members of Congress undermine the right to vote and are undemocratic.
Term limits impose an arbitrary restriction on a fundamental right in our political system.
They deny some citizens the ability to run for office and other citizens the ability to vote for the individual they believe will best represent their interests in the United States Congress. We recognize that the current system of financing congressional elections has made it extraordinarily difficult for challengers to defeat incumbents and in so doing has seriously undermined the accountability of Members to their constituents and the notion that real elections are occurring in races involving incumbents. But the key to solving this fundamental problem is creating a new campaign finance system that provides the opportunity for competitive elections and restores political accountability for Members of Congress. This accountability will not be achieved by term limits, which within the terms of service allowed will leave in place many of the problems that exist today. In October 1990, George Will said, in opposing term limits, Politics in our time has been ennobled by the long careers of such Senators as John Stennis, Hubert Humphrey, and Henry Jackson.