Wisconsin has had one of the lowest turnover rates in the nation among state lawmakers over the last 30 years, according to a new study conducted by the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute, a conservative think tank.
The study, published by Christian Schneider, a senior fellow at WPRI, advocates imposing 12-year term limits on Wisconsin lawmakers.
The study said some lawmakers are out of touch with younger voters and are becoming apathetic to legislation as they focus on their next election.
Youth voting rates in election years without a presidential race have fallen dramatically over the last 40 years, the study said. According to the study, younger generations may feel out of touch because as lawmakers age, they may focus less on younger voters.
Schneider said youth apathy toward political involvement could not come at a worse moment because the state's debt has been growing over the past decade and will likely be paid off in the next several decades by currently young voters.
According to the study, after 12 years in office, lawmakers propose significantly fewer bills per session. The study suggests this causes lawmakers to vote for short-term spending and focus more on campaigns. Schneider said he believes term limits are the solution.
""A lot of legislators, if they are not up for re-election, wouldn't be under the same pressure to do a quick fix,"" Schneider said, adding they would be able to think more about the long-term well-being of the state.
Schneider said once lawmakers get into office, incumbency makes it easier for them to win re-election because ""they manage to, through new laws, grant themselves all kinds of new advantages to try to keep their jobs."" However, he said the study showed some voters believe elections are a reliable way to determine who sits in the Legislature.
Legislation to create term limits has been proposed, but none has been seriously considered, according to the study.
Gov. Jim Doyle, who will not run for re-election in 2010, showed support for term limits this year and said in a statement that limits keep ""the political world from becoming stagnant.""
