The News Leader
Missouri lawmakers sent a bill to the governor that would change the process for citizens to place proposals on voting ballots.
House Bill 117 makes new requirements for those involved in petitioning to have a proposal appear on election ballots in 2014. State Sen. Jay Wasson, R-Nixa, who handled the bill in the Missouri Senate, says it will make the petition process more open and understandable to voters.
“It does five things basically, and the main thing you want to think about is transparency,” Wasson said.
House Bill 117 would require the ballot title to appear on initiative and referendum petitions, and would increase penalties for persons who commit petition signature fraud.
It will be up to voters to decide whether to prohibit smoking in enclosed public places in Springfield, as well as whether some movie theaters will be barred from selling alcohol, members of the City Council decided Monday night.
Of the 101 initiative petitions Secretary of State Robin Carnahan’s office has received for this election cycle, 44 were approved for circulation, and 28 of those have been tied up in the courts. Opponents of ballot initiatives almost always sue Carnahan, the state auditor and attorney general over the ballot title and summary language that would be placed before voters. Sometimes the petitioner sues Carnahan because of a dispute over summary language.
Citizen coalitions, millionaires and out-of-state groups are increasingly trying to bypass the Missouri legislature in favor of taking constitutional amendments and changes in state law directly to voters. Since the day after the November 2008 election, 101 ballot initiative petitions have been submitted to Secretary of State Robin Carnahan’s office. It’s a considerable increase from the 55 petitions submitted in 2008, 42 in 2006 and 16 in 2004.
Groups that collect signatures on petitions for ballot issues would be required to register with the state and face suspension for improper activities, under legislation being introduced at the Statehouse. Rep. Jennifer Garrison (D-Marietta) and candidate for Secretary of State, said the law change was needed to cut down on the number of ballot issues and misconduct among petition circulators, many of whom are paid for each signature they collect.