BOISE, Idaho, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Idaho became the first state in the nation to repeal a voter-approved limit on political terms in office Friday when the state legislature overrode Gov. Dirk Kempthorne's veto of a bill scrapping the state's 8-year-old term limits statute.
Kempthorne had nixed the measure Thursday on the grounds he did not want to second-guess the state's voters, however the state House and Senate easily overrode the veto Friday.
"For me, this is a matter of the people's will," Kempthorne said Thursday in a letter to legislative leaders explaining his veto. "I cannot say to the people who elected me to office that I respect their decision in my case, but reject their collective judgment ...when they affirmed their support for term limits. It is a question of process, and the will of the voters of Idaho cannot be ignored and must be protected."
Idaho was one of 18 states with term limit laws.
Some of the lawmakers who voted for the override Friday said term limits were not in the best interest of the state, however opponents predicted a potential backlash in the next election.
"The question this fall will not be on term limits, the questions will be did the legislature listen to the voters," State Sen. John Sandy told Boise television station KIVI.
The Idaho Statesman noted Friday that many of the lawmakers who favored the repeal were either re-elected last year or were running unopposed or against token opposition.
"Some people are furious that their legislators think they can vote as they wish, with impunity. The numbers suggest they can do just that," the newspaper said on its editorial page Friday.
The term-limit law was passed by Idaho voters in 1994 with 60 percent of the vote, however a non-binding 1998 ballot referendum on keeping term limits passed with only 53 percent of the vote.
