State Legislative Survey and Contextual Data, 1995

This survey of state legislators focused on attitudes toward term limits and what effects term limits might have. The survey was conducted just as term limits were about to be initiated in close to 20 states. Respondents were asked how many terms they had served, whether they supported the idea of term limits, and if they had taken a position on term limits during their campaigns. They were also asked about the relative influence of party leaders and staff, among others, in determining legislative outcomes and how this influence had changed recently. With regard to the job of legislator, respondents were queried regarding how many bills and amendments they had authored, how much time they spent on various duties and tasks, and if they specialized in single policy areas. Also elicited was campaign information regarding headquarters and staff, as well as information on opposition, vote percentages, and campaign expenditures. Additional questions regarding the respondent's political future were asked as well. Former state legislators also answered questions regarding which other offices they held, and whether they were appointed or elected to those positions. In addition, they were asked why they departed from the legislature, if they were likely to run for office again, what the political background of the person who held the seat after them was, and, if they chose not to run for re-election, the reason for that decision. Demographic information, including gender, year of birth, ethnicity, occupation outside of politics, income level, and religious affiliation was also collected. Contextual information was added to the file by the principal investigators, and includes data on state population, the date when term limits were adopted in the state, length of term, timing of elections, number of seats in the legislature, legislative expenditures, and legislator compensation.