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Article published Apr 19, 2004
Longer terms would insulate lawmakers from
voters
Which is more important: to remove officials from the
pressures of fund-raising and campaigning or to make them more accountable to
voters?The S.C. Senate will be grappling with that question as it considers a
bill approved by a Senate Judiciary subcommittee last week.The bill would allow
governors to serve only one six-year term. Currently, governors can serve two
four-year terms, if they can win re-election. The bill would also change state
House members' terms from two years to four and lengthen state senators' terms
from four years to six.The bill's sponsor, Sen. Dick Elliott, D-Myrtle Beach,
says he wants to insulate the governor from having to constantly campaign. He
says six years, free from worrying about re-election, would be enough for a
governor "to get his program and policies implemented."Longer terms for House
and Senate members would also give them more time to work on their priorities
without having to worry about raising re-election funds or campaigning for
votes.But insulating officials from election pressure also means insulating them
from the pressure of pleasing their constituents.By lengthening the terms of
these officials, lawmakers would be less accountable to the voters. That may, in
fact, be what lawmakers want to do. But is it acceptable to the people?Four
years is enough for a governor to demonstrate to the state his priorities, his
character and his ability to get things accomplished. It is worthwhile for the
people of the state to vote on him after a four-year term.Why would we want a
governor to be able to implement his entire agenda in six years without any
further vote from the people beyond his initial election?Two years in the
General Assembly is also enough time for the voters of a district to know
whether a House member represents their point of view. It takes more time to
determine whether a lawmaker will be effective, but regular elections address
that need.Fortunately, these changes would be difficult to make. They require a
change in the state constitution, so they require approval by two-thirds of
lawmakers and a referendum. The Senate should forget about this bill.