North Dakota Farm Bureau, Farmers Union working against Term Limit measure

(Bismarck, ND) -- North Dakota Farm Bureau and North Dakota Farmers Union are working together to defeat a term limits ballot measure.

The measure would limit the number of terms the governor and state lawmakers can serve. Both organizations say term limits put more power into the hands of professional lobbyists and career bureaucrats.

“We felt it important to voice together our concerns about this measure,” said North Dakota Farmers Union President Mark Watne. “At Farmers Union, we have longstanding policy that opposes term limits because they are a limitation on the rights of citizens to choose and elect their public officials. Term limits also put more power into the hands of professional lobbyists and career bureaucrats.” 

Since the 2015 legislative session, 27 of the 47 North Dakota Senate seats will have turned over after this fall’s election. Of the 94 State House seats, half will be in different hands after this fall.

“The system already allows for natural turnover while allowing North Dakotans to keep their right to vote for the leaders they want representing them,” said Lies. “Term limits on state legislators will not fix problems in Washington, D.C. Term limits will only shift the power to unelected bureaucrats.”

Lies added that government restrictions on farmers are a big issue because of increasing input costs.