Proposed bills could change majority rule in Missouri
Politicians in Jefferson City are ramping up efforts to change the power of your vote. There are multiple bills being considered to change the initiative petition process, a process where voters decide on changes to the state’s constitution. We speak with a political analyst to discuss the political strategies at play, and what they mean for you.
Updated: 11:30 AM CST Mar 3, 2024
WHOEVER GETS THE MOST VOTES WINS, RIGHT? WELL, MAJORITY RULE COULD BE CHANGING IN MISSOURI. BATTLING BACK A FILIBUSTER, THE REPUBLICAN LED STATE SENATE PASSED A MEASURE LATE LAST MONTH DESIGNED TO MAKE IT HARDER FOR VOTERS TO AMEND MISSOURI’S CONSTITUTION THROUGH THE INITIATIVE PETITION PROCESS. SOME REPUBLICANS HAVE SAID PUBLICLY THAT THEY WANT THESE CHANGES IN PLACE TO PREVENT AN AMENDMENT PROTECTING ABORTION RIGHTS FROM PASSING AT THE POLLS. THIS FALL. SO HERE’S HOW THE PROCESS WORKS, RIGHT NOW. AFTER GATHERING ENOUGH SIGNATURES, AN AMENDMENT BROUGHT ABOUT BY INITIATIVE, PETITION NEEDS A SIMPLE MAJORITY TO PASS. THOSE ARE THE RULES THAT HAVE BEEN IN PLACE FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY. REPUBLICANS WANT TO CHANGE THE PROCESS TO SOMETHING CALLED A CONCURRENT MAJORITY. THAT’S A STATEWIDE MAJORITY VOTE. ALONG WITH A MAJORITY VOTE IN AT LEAST FIVE OF THE STATE’S EIGHT CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS. THIS REQUIREMENT WOULD APPLY TO PROPOSALS COMING FROM THE PUBLIC OR A CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION, BUT NOT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY ITSELF. VOTING RIGHTS ADVOCATES DENOUNCE THIS PUSH, CALLING IT PURELY POLITICAL. WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT MISSOURIANS VALUE MAJORITY RULE. IT’S A BASIC STAPLE OF FAIRNESS THAT WE LEARNED AS CHILDREN, AND THAT LAWMAKERS ARE TRYING TO UPEND THAT PROCESS FOR THEIR OWN POLITICAL GAIN. THE SENATE BILL IS ONE OF A NUMBER OF MEASURES IN THE WORKS, MAKING IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE TO PASS THEIR OWN AMENDMENTS THROUGH THE POWER OF THE PETITION PROCESS. THIS GREATLY AFFECTS YOUR VOTE. SO LET’S DISCUSS. PLEASE WELCOME BACK, DOCTOR GREG VENOM, POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR AT UMKC. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. LOTS TO GET TO. LET’S START WITH THIS CONCURRENT MAJORITY. THIS MAKES THE PASSAGE OF AN AMENDMENT VERY DIFFICULT. WHEN YOU ADD AT LEAST FIVE OF EIGHT CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS, HOW DOES THIS CHANGE THE DYNAMIC? SO RIGHT NOW THE WAY IT WORKS IS VOTERS ARE ABLE TO PROPOSE THEIR OWN LEGAL CHANGE OR THEIR OWN CHANGE TO THE CONSTITUTION. AND THAT REQUIRES A PASSAGE BY A SIMPLE MAJORITY VOTE OF THE VOTERS. SO IT GOES ON THE BALLOT. PEOPLE CAN SAY YES OR NO. IF MORE PEOPLE SAY YES THAN NO, THE CHANGE IS MADE TO THE STATE CONSTITUTION IS AMENDED. UH, IF THE PROCESS WERE TO CHANGE, IT WOULD REQUIRE NOT ONLY A MAJORITY OF STATEWIDE VOTERS TO APPROVE THE AMENDMENT, IT WOULD ALSO REQUIRE A MAJORITY OF THE VOTERS AND A MAJORITY OF THE CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS TO APPROVE OF THE MEASURE AS WELL. SO WE’RE TALKING ABOUT IT NOT JUST NECESSARILY THE POPULATION URBAN CENTERS LIKE KANSAS CITY, SAINT LOUIS, RIGHT? THAT’S CORRECT. AND IT WOULD REQUIRE A DOUBLE MAJORITY THEN IN ORDER TO APPROVE ANY CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT CHANGE. INTERESTING. SO WE KNOW MISSOURI IS AN INTERESTING STATE. WE’VE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE, RIGHT. PROGRESSIVE AMENDMENTS SEEM TO PASS AT THE POLLS WHEN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY IS IS RUN BY REPUBLICANS. WE HAVE A RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA MEDICAID EXPANSION THAT WE SHOULD POINT OUT. VOTERS HAVE APPROVED SOME CONCERN ITEMS THROUGH INITIATIVE, PETITION BEFORE. THIS IS JUST A DYNAMIC. THAT MEANS A LOT, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THE TIMING THIS YEAR WITH A POTENTIAL ABORTION PETITION AMENDMENT ON THE WAY. RIGHT. AND THERE’S TWO PIECES TO THAT. SO ONE, MISSOURI IS BY NO MEANS AN OUTLIER IN THIS. WE’VE SEEN THIS IN A NUMBER OF STATES THAT HAVE HAD INITIATIVE PETITIONS, PRIMARILY IN THE WEST, EVEN ONES THAT ARE VERY CONSERVATIVE CONTROLLED BY REPUBLICAN MAJORITIES. WE’VE SEEN DEMOCRATS AND LIBERAL INTEREST GROUPS USE INITIATIVES IN ORDER TO PASS A NUMBER OF THEIR AGENDA ITEMS. AND THEN WE’VE SEEN SOME REPUBLICAN GOVERNMENTS TRY TO PUSH BACK ON THAT AND CURTAIL THE USE OF INITIATIVES LIKE WHAT WE’RE SEEING IN MISSOURI NOW. AND YOU’RE RIGHT, THE SPECIFIC ISSUE THAT EVERYBODY’S KIND OF ANTICIPATING THIS YEAR IS A NUMBER OF ABORTION RELATED. BALLOT MEASURES. AND AS WE’VE SAID, SOME CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICANS HAVE OVERTLY SAID, LOOK, WE’RE TRYING TO GET THIS IN PLACE BEFORE THEN. EVEN IF THIS PASSES THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, IF THE GOVERNOR SIGNS IT INTO LAW, VOTERS HAVE TO HAVE THE FINAL SAY ON THIS, RIGHT? YES. SO THE INITIATIVE PROCESS IS A CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISION IN MISSOURI. THAT MEANS THE LEGISLATURE CANNOT UNILATERALLY AMEND THE CONSTITUTION. THEY CAN PROPOSE A CHANGE, BUT IT’S STILL UP TO VOTERS TO APPROVE THAT CHANGE. TO THAT END, WE’VE SEEN BATTLES IN JEFF CITY OVER WHAT BALLOT LANGUAGE SHOULD LOOK LIKE. A LOT OF BACK AND FORTH. THERE’S A BIG FILIBUSTER, AS WE MENTIONED, ABOUT THIS FAR RIGHT CONSERVATIVES, EVEN ONLINE, HAVE FALSELY CLAIMED REMOVING SOME OF THEIR LANGUAGE THAT THEY WANTED WAS AKIN TO ALLOWING NON-CITIZENS TO VOTE. AND EVEN ALLOWING FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS TO INFLUENCE ELECTIONS. FOR THE RECORD, NONE OF THAT IS TRUE. WRIGHT NON-CITIZENS CANNOT VOTE IN MISSOURI. NON-CITIZENS CANNOT VOTE IN MISSOURI. FULL STOP, FULL STOP. THEY CAN’T IN THIS ELECTION, THEY WON’T BE ABLE TO IN THIS ELECTION. THEY HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO IN PREVIOUS ELECTIONS. WHETHER OR NOT THERE’S A CHANGE TO THE INITIATIVE PROCESS IS NOT GOING TO IMPACT WHETHER NON-CITIZENS CAN VOTE IN ELECTIONS IN MISSOURI, EVEN IF THE LANGUAGE IS THERE. THAT’S THAT WOULD BE REDUNDANT LANGUAGE TO WHAT IS ALREADY BEEN LONGSTANDING LAW AND PRACTICE, NOT NOT ONLY IN MISSOURI, BUT IN EVERY, EVERY STATEWIDE, EVERY FEDERAL ELECTION. YEAH. SOME POLITICIANS ARE DEEMING THIS A BALLOT CANDY. AND WE HAVE SEEN SOME BALLOT LANGUAGE IN THE PAST FOR SURE THAT THAT IS KIND OF WALKED THAT LINE OVER TRYING TO TO GET PEOPLE TO VOTE. DO YOU EXPECT THAT TO BE THE NEXT BATTLEFIELD NOW FOR THIS? YES. SO I MEAN, THE WAY THE WAY IT’S WORKING IS MISSOURI HAS A BICAMERAL LEGISLATURE. SO BOTH THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE HAVE TO APPROVE THE SAME LANGUAGE. SO THIS FIGHT IS PLAYED OUT IN THE SENATE. THE SENATE HAS REMOVED THAT EXTRANEOUS REDUNDANT LANGUAGE. IT NOW GOES BACK TO THE HOUSE. THE EXPECTATION IS THE HOUSE IS GOING TO ADD IN THE THE ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE. AND IT’S A POLITICAL STRATEGY IN THE CALCULUS. THERE IS SOMEBODY WHO WILL GO UP BE THEY’LL UNDERSTAND THE CONCURRENT MAJORITY LANGUAGE. MAYBE THEY WON’T. MAYBE THEY WON’T HAVE STRONG FEELINGS ABOUT IT. THE CALCULUS IS THAT THEY’LL SEE NONCITIZEN VOTING AND THEY’LL THINK, OH YEAH, NON-CITIZENS SHOULDN’T BE VOTING IN THE ELECTIONS WITHOUT NECESSARILY BEING AWARE THAT THAT’S ALREADY EXISTING LAW. SO IT’S A CALCULUS TO TRY AND PEEL OFF SOME ADDITIONAL VOTERS TO SUPPORT THE AMENDMENT THAT OTHERWISE MAYBE THEY WOULDN’T. SOME TRICKY POLITICS AT PLAY. ALL RIGHT, GREG, WITH YOU ON. CASEY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. KMBC NINE NEWS. KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON THE SESSION IN JEFF CITY AS LAWMAKERS WORK TO CHANGE THE RULES AHEAD OF THE NOVEMBER ELECTIONS. WE’LL BRING Y
Proposed bills could change majority rule in Missouri
Politicians in Jefferson City are ramping up efforts to change the power of your vote. There are multiple bills being considered to change the initiative petition process, a process where voters decide on changes to the state’s constitution. We speak with a political analyst to discuss the political strategies at play, and what they mean for you.
Updated: 11:30 AM CST Mar 3, 2024