State Feed: Missouri

Missouri: Fighting the Petition Effort

AmandaKathryn — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:05:37 -0500

When Safer Missouri Citizens Coalition called for a petition ceremony for its local control ballot initiative on Monday, they were met with citizens demanding real local control.

The group, sponsored by billionaire financier Rex Sinquefield, had promised the support of more civic leaders and elected officials than it was able to deliver.

Missouri: Petition Efforts Focus on Payday Loans, Minimum Wage

AmandaKathryn — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:29:37 -0500

Two Missouri organizations are working together to push ballot measures seeking to cap payday loan interest rates and increase the state minimum wage.

Missourians for Responsible Lending and Give Missourians A Raise kicked off the two initiative petition campaigns at a joint event Saturday at the Boone County Commission Chambers. The group Grass Roots Organizing put on the event

Missouri: E-Verify Rivals Spend More in Springfield Ballot Measure

AmandaKathryn — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:22:29 -0500

Groups on either side of the proposed E-Verify ordinance have begun spending money to woo voters, with opponents so far outspending supporters more than 10-to-1.

In a Jan. 22 email sent to Springfield City Council and others, Grupo Latinoamericano President Yolanda Lorge said opponents of the ballot measure had spent about $20,000, mostly on printed material and a phone campaign.

Missouri: Coalition Aims to Put Minimum Wage Increase on Nov. Ballot

AmandaKathryn — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:31:42 -0500

Missouri’s minimum wage workers could be getting a $1 an hour raise next year if a ballot initiative sponsored by the Give Missourians A Raise coalition makes it to the November ballot. The coalition needs to collect about 200,000 registered voters’ signatures between now and May for the initiative to qualify.

Currently, Missouri’s minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.

“About 290,000 Missouri workers would see an immediate raise if the initiative passes in November,” Montague Simmons told the People’s World. Simmons is the St. Louis minimum wage initiative coordinator for Missouri Jobs with Justice, a key member of the coalition.

Missouri: Group to Push ‘Right to Work’ Ballot Initiative

AmandaKathryn — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:17:27 -0500

While many state legislators shy from the issue, an outside group plans to file an initiative petition this month to place a so-called “right to work” constitutional amendment on the 2012 ballot.

Greg Johns, vice president of Missourians for Right to Work,’ intends to file the petition with the secretary of state’s office some time this month, according to sources familiar with the process.

Missouri: Tax for police will be on Independence city ballot

Trevor Ford — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:55:21 -0500

Time and time again, Independence City Council members say they’ve heard their constituents express concern for public safety and for an increased presence of police officers. Come April 3, voters will say whether they are willing to pay extra – as property owners – for that sense of security.

Read the story from the Blue Springs Examiner

Missouri: Springfield voters weigh in on e-verify system

Trevor Ford — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 12:33:26 -0500

In February, Springfield voters will decide if businesses must use the federal E-Verify database to check whether potential employees can work legally in the United States. Now, we know what voters will read on the ballot for the controversial proposed ordinance. With a deadline of Tuesday to get it on the February ballot, council members voted and passed one version of the ballot language for the E-Verify issue. They had three possible versions of ballot language to consider. The council decided, at the advice of legal counsel, that the first version was not a good choice because of a legal issue with the language involving who would collect fines.

Read the story from KY 3

Missouri: Marijuana petition being circulated

Trevor Ford — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:35:45 -0500

A petition now circulating in Missouri would place a constitutional amendment on the November 2012 ballot to legalize marijuana for those 21 or older. The “Show-Me Cannabis Initiative” calls for a sweeping repeal of criminal prohibitions against marijuana in Missouri.

Read the story from West End Word

Missouri: Payday loan battle at the ballot box

Trevor Ford — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 11:47:33 -0500

A battle looms over how much lenders can charge for payday loans in Missouri — and it promises to be an expensive one. A coalition of religious groups and civic organizations have begun collecting signatures to get a measure on the state’s 2012 ballot that would limit the cost of short-term loans. Voters would then have the option of capping annual interest rates on those loans — which would include payday and car title loans — at 36 percent.

Read the story from the St. Louis Post Dispatch

Missouri: Local control measure will have backing of police

Trevor Ford — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:41:15 -0500

The St. Louis Police Officers’ Association now is supporting a ballot initiative to return control of the police department to the city from the state. The group announced today that it reached a compromise with Mayor Francis Slay and representatives of A Safer Missouri, which is funded by retired investor Rex Sinquefield, to withdraw amendments filed in March that would have placed the question of local control of the St. Louis and Kansas City police departments before voters next year.

Read the story from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Missouri: Minimum wage increase focus of ballot initiatives

Trevor Ford — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 15:50:34 -0500

Missouri voters could be asked next year to raise the state’s minimum wage to $8.25. The secretary of state’s office on Tuesday approved the summaries on two initiative petitions, meaning proponents can begin collecting signatures to get the measures on the 2012 ballot. Missouri’s minimum wage currently matches the federal requirement of $7.25 an hour.

Read the story from Bloomberg Businessweek

Missouri: Marijuana initiative can now collect signatures

Trevor Ford — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:31:30 -0500

Advocates can begin collecting signatures for two proposed Missouri ballot measures that would legalize marijuana. The secretary of state’s office said Monday the initiative petitions have been approved for circulation to get them on the 2012 ballot.

Read the story from Saint Louis Today

More Changes for Missouri's Initiative Process?

Trevor Ford — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 15:12:19 -0400

A lot has happened in Missouri over the last few years regarding its citizen initiative process. The will of the voters was overturned by a vote in the Legislature, a campaign sprung up to change the law in order to protect citizen passed ballot initiatives, and now…a Republican state representative is proposing additional changes to the way Missouri handles ballot initiatives:

Missouri: State lawmaker proposes changes to initiative law

Trevor Ford — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 15:05:28 -0400

Less than a year after Missouri lawmakers overrode the voter ballot decision to pass Proposition B, regarding dog-breeder regulations; Rep. Shane Schoeller, R-Willard, proposed a package of election changes which includes a change in the margin by which lawmakers could override voter decisions in the future. Schoeller is calling his proposed package of changes the “Missouri Fair Elections Act.”

Read the story from CBS St. Louis

Missouri: Changes possible for state initiative process

Trevor Ford — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:33:35 -0400

Republican Missouri secretary of state candidate Shane Schoeller outlined proposals Thursday that would require photo identification to vote and overhaul the process for handling ballot measures and legislative redistricting.

Read the story from The Joplin Globe

MISSOURI: Kansas City light rail ballot measure nixed

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 21:29:47 -0400

A Kansas City Council committee today rejected transit activist Clay Chastain’s latest proposal for a light rail ballot measure.

The council’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee recommended against placing Chastain’s light rail plan on the February ballot, saying it is woefully under-funded and is impossible to implement. The full council considers Chastain’s proposal on Sep. 29.

Show Me Progress: What it comes down to is whether you trust the voters

Staff — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 11:23:22 -0400

Recently the ShowMe Progress blog caught up with long-time political strategist and former Howard Dean campaign manager Joe Trippi to talk about the Your Vote Counts Act. For BlueGirl:

It comes down to a simple question. Do we trust the voters to do the right thing in the light of day or does the General Assembly hold all of the marbles?

Kansas City Denies Citizens a Vote On Weapons Plant Expansion

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 13:59:01 -0400

A Kansas City Council committee rejected a petition drive aimed at blocking expansion of the Honeywell weapons.Organizers submitted more than the 3,572 valid signatures required to put the issue on an upcoming ballot, but the city attorney claims the measure is unconstitutional. Critics said the decision means City Hall is denying the right of the people to have a voice in government, and they may take the issue to court.

A Victory for the Petition Process

Staff — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 11:36:48 -0400

[From The Missouri Record]

Established politicians have a vested interest in opposing the right of the people to pass laws through the petition process. Missouri is no different. As Citizens in Charge wrote in 2010:

Broad-based coalition behind Missouri's Your Vote Counts Act

Paul — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 10:38:48 -0400

An article in today’s St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports on the broad-based coalition supporting a new initiative – the Your Vote Counts Act – that would make it harder for legislators to overturn an initiative without sending it back to the people for their approval.

Citizens in Charge has endorsed the ballot measure and is working with individuals and groups in the Show Me state, all across the political spectrum, to gather the signatures required to place the measure on the 2012 ballot.