Democrats, Republicans and independents agree on almost nothing. They agree on this. Congress is the only thing in the way.
Ask Americans what they want from Washington and they disagree on plenty. Not on this. In the Independent Center's October 2026 National Policy Poll, 78% of Americans said they support term limits for members of Congress. Only 11% oppose them. Half the country, 50%, supports them strongly.
That is a majority of Democrats (81%), a majority of independents (72%) and a majority of Republicans (83%). There is no party and no generation where term limits lose. The only place they can't get a vote is the one place they'd apply: Congress.
Support for congressional term limits
Share who favor term limits for members of Congress, strongly or somewhat
By party
By generation
Opposition is 11% to 13% in every group. Independents' lower total reflects more undecided respondents (about 15%), not more opposition. Source: Independent Center National Policy Poll, 1,200 U.S. adults, Oct. 1–6, 2026; margin of error ±2.8 points.
Why hasn't it happened? Because the people who would have to pass term limits are the people they would limit. The same poll found 42% of Americans say that when Congress fails, it is because both parties put their own interests ahead of the country's, the most common answer in every group. Half of Americans say their voice is not being heard in Washington.
Term limits are part of a package the public has already agreed to and Congress has not: 76% would ban members from trading stocks, 71% want a five-year lobbying ban for former members and senior staff, and 68% want open primaries.
Term limits don't just poll well. They hold up everywhere. A clear majority supports them in every group tested, including the most committed partisans on both sides, and in every generation, from 66% of Gen Z to 87% of Americans 62 and over. Independents hold this view firmly: 56% of those taking a side strongly favor term limits.
This campaign calls on Congress to pass a constitutional amendment establishing term limits for members of the House and Senate.
Read more: Americans Agree on Solutions. What's in the Way? The Parties.
Methodology: Independent Center National Policy Poll, 1,200 U.S. adults, fielded Oct. 1–6, 2026 by The Bullfinch Group; margin of error ±2.8 points. "Support" combines strongly and somewhat favor.
Petition Text: "I call on Congress to pass a constitutional amendment establishing term limits for members of the U.S. House and Senate, and on my representatives to support it publicly and vote for it. Term limits are supported by 78% of Americans across every party and generation. A Congress that will not vote on a reform this popular is making the case for it."