Changing Members : The Maine Legislature in the Era of Term Limits

"Since the early 1990s, whether elected representatives at the state and national levels should be limited to a specific term of office has been a contentious public policy question. Changing Members examines the case of Maine, which in 1996 became the first state in the entire nation where legislative term limits took effect in both chambers. Authors Matthew C. Moen, Kenneth T. Palmer, and Richard J. Powell have combined original survey data collected from Maine's legislators, several dozen interviews with legislators and other political elites, and participant observation of committee and floor proceedings to provide a complete picture of the new term limits' effects. Challenging conventional wisdom on term limits and offering predictions of the likely impact of term limits in other states with citizen legislatures, Changing Members is an essential source for citizens, elected officials and government workers, and scholars of political science."