The effect of term limits on legislator diversity

Theoretically, legislatures that reflect the demographics of their electorates better represent their constituents’ interests. However, American state legislatures often do not mirror the racial, ethnic, and/or gender makeup of the citizens they represent. Scholars and policy makers have mentioned term limits as a potential instrument to redress this unequal representation among political officeholders. The team’s analyses explore whether term limits are associated with changing gender and racial compositions in state legislatures. Previous studies on this topic have been primarily qualitative and limited by inadequate records. Using an original method to compile data, this study’s findings suggest that adopting term limits has, under certain conditions, a significant and positive impact on the election of women.