A majority of California voters support term limits for local elected offices, including county supervisors, district attorneys and sheriffs, according to a new poll released Tuesday, which some experts say could signal a desire for new leadership in the November election.
A poll conducted by the University of California, Berkeley's Institute of Governmental Studies found that of more than 5,000 voters surveyed, roughly three-quarters of respondents said they wanted to enact or shorten term limits for county supervisors (77%), district attorneys (77%) and sheriffs (73%).
The poll, conducted by Berkeley researchers for the Evelyn and Walter Jr. Haas Foundation, found that limiting the terms of office for key local officials has bipartisan support, with majorities of Republican, Democratic and independent voters in favor. Respondents' preferred term limit is two four-year terms, the survey found.
Among Los Angeles County voters, 78% said they strongly or somewhat favor term limits, while 10% said they strongly or somewhat oppose them. Los Angeles County Supervisors can serve a maximum of three four-year terms, but most counties have no such limit.
Alameda County's Keith Carson, who was first elected in 1992 and is set to retire at the end of this term, is the state's longest-serving county supervisor.
The Los Angeles County Superior Court invalidated term limits for sheriffs in 2004 and for district attorneys in 2006, according to county documents. The state's longest-serving district attorney is Butte County's Michael Ramsey, who has served in the position for more than 36 years.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón is up for re-election in November after completing his first term. He defeated incumbent Jackie Lacey, who served from 2012 to 2020.
“Term limits are popular worldwide,” political consultant Brian Van Riper said in an interview. “People generally want a little bit of restraint on their elected officials, and I think term limits are a good idea.”
Los Angeles voters are sending a signal that they're ready for change, Van Riper added.
“We've seen recent losses of incumbents in the city of Los Angeles that were unheard of a few years ago,” he said. “Voters may be tired of politics as usual.”
The Berkeley poll looked at a wide range of issues beyond term limits.
Two in three respondents said the top two candidates in a primary should be required to face off in the general election. Under the current system for county supervisor, district attorney and sheriff, a candidate who receives more than 50% of the vote in a primary automatically wins.
according to California Common CauseFifty-three of the 57 district attorney races in the 2022 election cycle were decided in primaries. For county supervisors, 80 of the 129 races were decided after a primary.
“The way California currently conducts county primaries means that incumbent supervisors, district attorneys and sheriffs are consistently re-elected in low-turnout primaries,” said Jonathan Mehta Stein, executive director of California Common Cause.
“It also permanently removes a highly visible county office from the public eye,” he said. “Clearly, Californians want their county elections to be conducted in a way that elects more representative electors and representatives.”
The Berkeley poll found that 47% of voters said it would be better to hold local elections at the same time as the presidential election, which usually has a higher turnout. Twenty-seven% said it would be better to hold local elections at the same time as the gubernatorial election, and 26% had no opinion.
California voter turnout June 2022 In the primary, it was 27%, but in the election that year it was 41%. November election. 2020When the presidential election vote took place, statewide voter turnout reached 70 percent.
The poll also found that three-quarters of voters think it's important that local elected officials reflect the diversity of their communities: 49% said it was very important, and 25% said it was somewhat important.
The poll found that voters of color were more likely to care about representation in local elected offices: 67% of black voters and 57% of Latino voters said it was very important that elected offices reflect the diversity of their community, while only 41% of white voters said the same.
“People have a right to see themselves and their values ​​reflected in their local elected officials,” said Angelica Salceda, director of the Democracy and Civic Engagement Program at the ACLU of Northern California. “When leaders reflect the diversity of their communities, it fosters trust and a sense of fair representation.”
