New Yorkers for Term Limits is a citizens group dedicated to reforming government in New York City and across New York State by breaking the grip of career politicians and opening the political process to new people with fresh ideas.   In two elections, over one million New Yorkers have voted for term limits. But some politicians still don’t get the message. 

In 1993, New Yorkers for Term Limits gathered the over 100,000 petition signatures to put a innovative term limits proposal on the ballot, a new law allowing City officeholders a maximum of two terms in office, eight years total.

The entrenched opposition waged an expensive campaign and mounted a protracted court battle.  But when the voters got their say, they voted overwhelmingly for term limits. Not trusting the will of the people, some professional politicians fought back.

In 1996, a group of incumbents and powerful special interests groups mounted an effort to destroy New York City term limits with new, deceptively worded ballot question.  New Yorker for Term Limits answered the attack.  And the voters were not tricked, term limits won again. In the years since, term limits have been at work bringing greater diversity to local government and more competition to City elections.

Yet not every the career politician is happy with these reforms. From time to time, politicians have attempted to tinker with term limits or kill the law completely.  So New Yorkers for Term Limits is still on the job, protecting the voters’ choice for term limits and advocating term limits statewide.