Term Limits

• Executive Branch
• State House of Representatives
• State Senate

In 1992, by a vote of almost two to one, Montanans passed a constitutional initiative (CI 64) establishing limits on how long statewide elected executive officers, state legislators, and members of Congress can hold office. Proponents of the idea argued that term limits would take government out of the hands of "career politicians" and encourage more citizens to run for office. About 20 other states have adopted similar restrictions.

In 1995, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the limits on congressional terms, saying that states do not have the constitutional authority to regulate the tenure of federal legislators.

So the effect of CI 64 was to prohibit the following public officials from seeking re-election if they have already held the office for 8 years in any 16-year period:

• Governor
• Lieutenant Governor
• Secretary of State
• State Auditor
• Attorney General
• Superintendent of Public Instruction
• State Representative
• State Senator

An official still can be re-elected by write-in vote, even after serving 8 years in a 16-year period.

Executive Branch

Three of the six top elected executive officials will step down in 2008 because of term limits:

• State Auditor John Morrison
• Attorney General Mike McGrath
• Superintendent of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch

The following elected officials each served since 2004 and, if they run again and are re-elected, will not be term limited until 2012.

• Governor Brian Schweitzer
• Lieutenant Governor John Bohlinger
• Secretary of State Brad Johnson

State Senate

Current members of the state Senate, who are elected for four-year terms, will be ineligible for re-election, or "term-limited out," according to the following schedule:

State House of Representatives 

Current members of the state House of Representatives, who are elected for two-year terms, will be ineligible for re-election, or "term-limited out," according to the following schedule: