EDITOR:
Vote No on Amendment 4.
Amendment 4 would modify the citizen initiative petition (IP) process to require a majority of voters in each and every congressional district to approve amendments to the Missouri Constitution rather than a statewide majority.
Since Missouri adopted the Initiative Petition (IP) process in 1910, voters have approved 133 constitutional amendments. Only 17% originated with citizen Initiated Petitions – the very process this amendment will change if passed. The other 83% are not affected. They were put on the ballot directly from Missouri legislators.
The purpose of Initiative Petition is a functional citizen check on State Legislators.
No doubt, IP reforms are needed for the citizen initiative process, but Amendment 4 raises the bar so high that it will kill the process rather than fixing the IP process.
A “yes” vote supports amending the Missouri Constitution to:
·require voter approval of citizen-initiated constitutional amendments in all congressional districts, rather than statewide;
·add language regarding penalties for ballot initiative signature petition fraud.
A “no” vote opposes amending the Missouri Constitution, therefore:
·continuing to require voter approval of citizen-initiated constitutional amendments by 51% simple majority statewide, not in each congressional district;
·maintaining existing prohibitions on foreign nationals spending on ballot measures.
·maintaining existing penalties for ballot initiative petition signature fraud in state law.
In 2016, Missouri voters approved a constitutional amendment limiting future sales taxes on most services. It passed with a 57% statewide majority. But it did not win a majority in all 8 congressional districts. If Amendment 4 had been in effect, it would have failed instead of passing.
Now on Aug. 4, you are being asked to vote for amendment 4 that will prevent 99.9% of all citizen initiated constitutional changes and to vote on amendment 5 that reverses the 2016 ban on sales tax on services.
A second reason to vote no is that your Missouri legislators created a double standard where ballot questions that originate in the Missouri State Legislature (the 83% from above) still only require a statewide simple majority of 50% + 1 vote.
The same legislators put Amendment 4 on the ballot asking you to vote to restrict your power as a voter, but not change the legislators power for constitutional ballot measures.
If the goal is to protect the Missouri Constitution from unnecessary changes, history shows that the legislature–not citizen initiatives–has been responsible for the overwhelming majority of constitutional amendments passed since 1910.
A no vote means you want a better plan that improves the IP process rather than killing it.
–Paul Hamby
Maysville
