"The rate of turnover in legislative seats is fairly high, although it tends to vary from state to state and time to time. In a given year, some 20 percent of all lawmakers around the country are serving their first term in office."
What factor listed below is one of the widely accepted explanations for the situation being described in the excerpt?
a. lack of qualified candidates for office
b. political stability in districts
c. poor voter turnout in elections
d. term limits of legislators***
Yes, d.
To determine the correct factor listed below as one of the widely accepted explanations for the situation described in the excerpt, let's analyze the information provided.
The excerpt states that the rate of turnover in legislative seats is fairly high, with approximately 20 percent of all lawmakers serving their first term in office in a given year.
Among the options provided, the one that aligns with the information provided in the excerpt is "d. term limits of legislators."
Term limits refer to laws or regulations that restrict the number of terms an elected official can serve in a particular position. If a state has term limits imposed on legislators, it would inevitably lead to turnover in legislative seats as incumbents are forced to step down after serving a certain number of terms. This turnover phenomenon can explain why a significant percentage of lawmakers in a given year are serving their first term in office.
Therefore, the correct answer is option "d. term limits of legislators."