Missouri
Missouri voters would need to show government-issued identification to vote, under a bill approved Tuesday in the Missouri Senate. The measure, which also includes provisions for early voting in partisan elections, does not take effect unless voters approve a state constitutional amendment that will be on the ballot sometime between now and November 2012. The measure, a key Republican goal for several years, was sent to Gov. Jay Nixon on a 25-9 vote. Sen. Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia, voted in favor of the bill.
A Missouri Senate committee has endorsed a proposed constitutional amendment revising how citizens get initiatives placed on statewide ballots. Organizers of initiative petition campaigns now must get signatures from voters in two-thirds of Missouri’s congressional districts. The Senate elections committee voted 5-3 Monday to back a proposal that would require signatures from voters in all districts. Missouri now has nine U.S. House districts, but is losing one for the 2012 elections.
The Missouri House has passed a proposed constitutional amendment changing one of the rules for citizens to get questions placed on statewide ballots. Organizers of initiative petition campaigns now must get signatures from voters in six of Missouri’s congressional districts. The proposal would require signatures from voters in all districts. Missouri now has nine U.S. House districts, but is losing one for the 2012 elections.
While the state ranked high on our grading scale, Missouri’s strange signature distribution requirement results in only two-thirds of a the state having a petition process, but an amendment pending in the Senate may change that.
An effort to repeal a law approved by voters that clamps down on Missouri dog breeders took a new twist Monday as several agricultural and animal advocacy groups agreed to support a fresh plan that would repeal some of the law’s restrictions and give puppy producers extra time to comply with its mandates. The compromise arrived just days after the Missouri Legislature voted to repeal and replace key parts of “Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act,” which was passed by voters statewide in November.
A diverse group is pushing for a change in the Missouri Constitution that would make it extremely difficult for lawmakers to overturn voter initiatives. It also could doom Kansas City and St. Louis to holding votes on their earnings taxes every five years in perpetuity. The Voter Protection Alliance said Tuesday that it submitted a proposed constitutional amendment to the Missouri Secretary of State’s office that would require either a three-fourths vote in both the House and Senate or a vote of the people to repeal or amend a citizen initiative.
Some commentary from the Kansas City Business Journal on the Voter Protection Alliance and the constitutional amendment they proposed yesterday:
Today in Missouri, the Voter Protection Alliance filed a constitutional amendment with the state that will better protect initiatives approved at the ballot box by voters. Citizens in Charge, along with the Humane Society and numerous other political groups, signed on to endorse this change to the state’s constitution. From the group’s press release:
Clean air won out over living free Tuesday in an election battle that had been defined as a showdown between public health and business rights. Springfield voters approved a sweeping indoor smoking ban by a margin of 53 percent to 47 percent, setting the stage for all businesses in Springfield to be smoke-free by June 6.
Voters in Blue Springs will decide Tuesday whether to approve a tax that will affect not only the police department, but every shopper who comes to town. The city has proposed a half-cent sales tax to finance a new digital radio system, building renovations and the hiring of more officers and other staff.
An initiative petition submitted by a Northlander has been cleared for circulation for the 2012 ballot by Secretary of State Robin Carnahan. Russell C. Purvis of Kansas City is seeking a constitutional amendment to reduce the ranks of the Missouri House of Representatives by 60 members. This petition is among six that Carnahan said had been approved for circulation March 14. The five others relate to municipal police forces or departments.
Smoking brought dozens of people to a public forum on Tuesday night. At issue is whether smoking should be banned in public places — including restaurants, bars and businesses — throughout the Queen City. Voters will decide the ballot initiative on April 5. Before they cast their ballots, both sides presented their arguments.
The Missouri state Senate’s vote to overturn the voter-approved referendum controlling puppy mills is just the latest in a series of legislative votes overturning measures approved by voters state-wide. Some see a war by rural lawmakers against St. Louis and Kansas City; others see a battle between the conservative legislature and more moderate and liberal voters; and most lawmakers see nothing wrong with it.
Once again the Missouri State Senate has decided it is smarter than the voters:
The Missouri state Senate’s vote to overturn the voter-approved referendum controlling puppy mills is just the latest in a series of legislative votes overturning measures approved by voters state-wide. Some see a war by rural lawmakers against St. Louis and Kansas City; others see a battle between the conservative legislature and more moderate and liberal voters; and most lawmakers see nothing wrong with it.
Smoking in public places—including restaurants, bars, and businesses—could become a thing of the past in Springfield if voters approve a measure banning it in April. Before you turn in your ballot, Live Free Springfield will be pushing their message to get you to vote no on the initiative.