Beto O'Rourke wants term limits for Supreme Court justices
Watch Elaine Quijano's exclusive interview with Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke tonight on CBSN and CBSNews.com.
Beto O'Rourke introduced a sweeping voting rights proposal on Wednesday that aims to increase registration by 50 million, with the goal of boosting voter turnout to 65 percent.
The plan also calls for term limits for some federal offices, including an 18-year term limit for Supreme Court justices. Several 2020 candidates have called for reforming the high court in response to recent federal and local decisions, and vacancies that have shifted the ideological makeup of the judiciary.
The former Texas congressman will discuss the new plan and his standing in the 2020 presidential primary in an exclusive interview with Elaine Quijano on CBSN Wednesday evening.
O'Rourke's plan would establish Election Day as a national holiday and implement same-day and automatic voter registration, including pre-registration for 15- and 16-year-olds. His proposal also includes these initiatives:
- Expand early voting to two weeks before Election Day, including weekends;
- Allocate federal funds to expand vote by mail;
- Ban PAC contributions to campaigns;
- And limit contributions to issue PACs.
O'Rourke would also call on Congress to pass legislation that allows people without identification to vote.
He's also proposing a constitutional amendment to institute a 12-year term limit for both the House and Senate, in an effort to inspire more people to run for office.
The proposal comes as O'Rourke has sought to reboot his campaign, after he faced criticism early on for a lack of policy plans. Recently, O'Rourke introduced other proposals related to immigration and climate change.