On Friday, Americans observed Term Limits Day, marking the 75th anniversary of the ratification of the 22nd Amendment, which limited presidents to two terms in office. It is a moment to celebrate a rare act of constitutional restraint — and to remember that Ohio played a central role in making it happen.

In 1951, after decades of informal tradition and following Franklin Roosevelt’s unprecedented four terms, the nation decided that no president–no matter how talented or popular–should remain in power indefinitely. Ohio understood this truth clearly. Our state became the 13th to ratify the 22nd Amendment, helping cement a bipartisan consensus that democracy depends on rotation in office.

What is often forgotten today is that support for presidential term limits in Ohio came from both parties and every corner of the political spectrum.

One of the most prominent advocates was Robert A. Taft, widely known as “Mr. Republican.” Taft believed deeply in constitutional balance and warned against concentrating power in any one branch–or any one individual. To Taft and many Ohioans of his generation, term limits were not about punishing a president; they were about protecting the republic.

But this was not just a Republican cause. Stephen M. Young, a Democrat and New Deal supporter, also recognized that even well-intentioned leaders should not become permanent fixtures in office. So did Frank Lausche, a pragmatic, independent-minded Democrat who believed strongly in institutional safeguards. And John W. Bricker, another Ohio leader, championed term limits as a necessary defense against executive overreach.

These Ohioans did not agree on every policy issue–far from it. But they agreed on something more important: no democracy should rely indefinitely on the same people holding power.

Seventy-five years later, that wisdom feels more relevant than ever.

While presidents are limited to two terms, members of Congress face no such restriction. Career politicians now routinely remain in Washington for decades, often growing more responsive to party leadership, lobbyists, and special interests than to the voters back home. The result is a Congress that is deeply unpopular, chronically gridlocked, and increasingly disconnected from everyday Ohioans.

Ohioans understand this problem instinctively. Poll after poll shows that overwhelming majorities of voters–Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike–support term limits for Congress. It is one of the few issues that consistently unites Americans across ideological lines, just as it did in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Yet despite this broad agreement, Congress has shown no willingness to limit its own power. That leaves the states with a responsibility–and an opportunity.

The Constitution provides a clear, lawful path forward through Article V, which allows states to call a convention to propose amendments when Congress refuses to act. Such a convention can be strictly limited to a single subject, in this case congressional term limits. The amendment would still require ratification by three-fourths of the states, ensuring broad national consensus before any change takes effect.

This is not radical. It is the very mechanism the Founders gave the states to correct federal overreach.

Ohio has led before. By ratifying the 22nd Amendment early, our state helped affirm that leadership should be temporary and accountability permanent. Now, 75 years later, Ohio must once again step forward by adopting a resolution calling for an Article V convention limited solely to congressional term limits.

This is not about left versus right. It is about citizens versus a permanent political class. It is about restoring a Congress that looks more like the communities it represents and less like a closed club.

On this Term Limits Day, we should honor Ohio’s bipartisan legacy– not just with words, but with action. The job we began 75 years ago remains unfinished. Ohio helped lead the nation then. It can — and should — do so again.

(Coughlin is the Ohio state chair of U.S. Term Limits)