Gallup: Three-quarters of Americans support congressional term limits

Three-quarters of Americans say they would vote for legislation limiting the number of terms that members of Congress could serve, according to a poll published Friday by Gallup. Only 21 percent of those surveyed said they would vote against such a measure.

The poll is likely the result of a Congress that remains extremely unpopular despite maintaining a high retention rate for elected officials. In a survey by The Wall Street Journal and NBC News released Friday, just 14 percent said they approved of Congress, while 81 percent disapprove.

Republicans are the most likely to support term limits, with a whopping 82 percent saying they would vote for such a measure. Just under eight in 10 independents say the same, although just 65 percent of Democrats say they would support such legislation.

There's virtually no difference between the generations on the idea; a voter 18 to 29 years old is just as likely as a voter 65 or older to support term limits.

Americans are also more than willing to reform another part of the voting system: the Electoral College. Of those surveyed, 63 percent would vote for the abolishment of the Electoral College, while just under three in 10 say they'd lodge a ballot against such a measure.

Democrats — with former Vice President Al Gore's popular vote win but Electoral College loss likely still fresh in mind — are the most likely to support its abolishment, with two-thirds saying they would vote for such a measure. But other groups aren't far behind, with 63 percent of independents and 61 percent of Republicans supporting a vote against the complex system of allocating electors to each state.

"Despite sharp polarization of the parties on many issues in 21st-century politics, Republicans and Democrats broadly agree on both longstanding election reform proposals," Gallup's Lydia Saad said in a statement.

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