Politics

3 out of 4 Americans favor congressional term limits

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The vast majority of Americans favor term limits, despite the fact that 91 percent of sitting congressmen were re-elected in 2012.

A Gallup poll released Friday shows that 75 percent of Americans would vote for term limits, for both the House and Senate, if given the opportunity.

The polling outfit reports that Republicans and independents favored term limits slightly more than Democrats. Republicans said they would vote for term limits 82 percent to 15 percent against, independents 79 percent to 17 percent and Democrats 65 percent to 29 percent.

The poll, which Gallup conducted from Jan. 8-9, further found that 63 percent of Americans would do away with the Electoral College as a means of electing the president in favor of a total national vote. Twenty-nine percent would keep it.

The elimination of the Electoral College received more bipartisan support than term limits, with Republicans in favor of abandoning it 61 percent to 30 percent against, Democrats 66 percent favored to 30 percent against, and independents 63 percent to 29 percent against.

“Despite sharp polarization of the parties on many issues in 21st century politics, Republicans and Democrats broadly agree on both longstanding election reform proposals,” Gallup’s Lydia Saad concluded.

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Caroline May