Minnesota lawmakers are moving to put a hard cap on the state’s top political job, rolling out a constitutional amendment that would limit the governor and lieutenant governor to two four-year terms. Voters would get the final say in 2026, and the clock on those limits would not start ticking until the 2030 election. House sponsors say the goal is to turn what has become a political norm into a constitutional rule, without reaching back to count past terms.
What Lawmakers Are Proposing
The House measure is largely carried by Rep. Jimmy Gordon, who told reporters the amendment is not aimed at any one person and that “it’s perfect timing because we have an open seat for the governor’s position.” According to KSTP, the legislation has authors from both parties in both the House and Senate and has already begun its trip through committee. Supporters are pitching it as a narrow change that touches only the top executive offices.
Bill Language And Timeline
The official bill text would add language to Article V, Section 2 of the Minnesota Constitution that bars anyone from being elected more than twice as governor or lieutenant governor. It also orders that the question be put to voters at the 2026 general election. Importantly, the bill says any election held before the 2030 general election does not count toward the new cap, so the term limit would apply only going forward. You can read the bill text on the Revisor’s site for the exact ballot wording and the fine print on how and when it would apply.
Political Context
Supporters say the timing is no accident. Gov. Tim Walz ended his short-lived bid for a third term earlier this year, clearing the way for an open governor’s race in 2026 and stirring fresh talk about locking in succession rules. Local reporting has pointed out that Minnesota is one of a relatively small group of states without formal gubernatorial term limits, while national trackers note that two consecutive four-year terms is the most common setup in other states. Against that backdrop, backers frame the proposal as basic bipartisan housekeeping rather than a sharpened political weapon.
Legal Note
Because this is a constitutional amendment referred by the Legislature, it skips one very familiar step: the governor’s desk. Legal experts reminded lawmakers that a referred amendment goes straight to the ballot, with no veto option in play. “The governor doesn’t have any say in the matter, the governor can’t veto it, it goes directly to the people at that point,” David Schultz, a political science professor at Hamline University, told KSTP. If voters sign off, changing it later would require another constitutional amendment.
What Happens Next
For now, the proposal is still working its way through the Capitol maze. It needs to clear committee, win approval in both chambers and then survive a statewide vote in 2026 before it can be written into the constitution. Lawmakers say the measure remains under review in committee and could see more hearings and tweaks before any floor vote. You can track the House bill status and the official Revisor text to see how the language evolves and whether the term-limit question ultimately lands on Minnesotans’ 2026 ballots.
