No limits in Mississippi

For the first time in three years, voters of a state have rejected an initiative limiting the terms of state legislators. In a surprise vote, Mississippi voters defeated a proposed constitutional amendment to limit all state legislators to two four-year terms. Noting that the 56%-to-44% defeat was a rarity for his group and that 10 states and localities enacted term limits in 1998, U.S. Term Limits head Paul Jacob cited strong opposition from teachers' unions and the AFL-CIO as well as from the Rev. Jesse Jackson as chief reasons for the Mississippi loss.

"I'm especially concerned since Rev. Jackson campaigned all over the state saying that term limits would hurt minority representation in the legislature, and that just isn't so" Jacob told Hum Ev noting that black representtion in legislatures has actually increased in states with term limits. "I'm going to try to meet with him soon and present him with the facts-although I realize that doesn't always work."

Copyright Human Events Publishing, Inc. Nov 26, 1999
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