In a recent Missouri House of Representatives session our only debate on the floor was a proposed constitutional amendment that would raise the threshold for all future constitutional amendments by requiring that those amendments receive at least 60 percent approval on the ballot before they are added to the state constitution.
HJR 43 was voted out of the House and sent to the Senate.
What’s honestly laughable is this amendment itself needs only a simple majority to pass.
It also includes a provision that only citizens can vote. DUH! Yes, this little piece of racist red meat was tacked on as “ballot candy” to try to trick people into thinking non-citizens get the right to vote if this isn’t approved. I’m confident most voters will not fall for this ploy, and I predict this proposal is going to go down in flames.
If passed by the Senate, this question will appear to voters on the ballot. It will not affect any constitutional amendments that appear on the 2024 ballot (i.e. abortion rights).
I voted “No” on this legislation, but I do think we ought to closely examine the impact of our initiative petition process, and the role it has played in creating the current super-majority that exists in Jefferson City.
For example, several state representatives from Jefferson, St. Charles, Clay, Platte, and even Jackson and St. Louis Counties represent districts that voted decisively for several ballot measures that those current representatives are opposed to.
It’s worth thinking about whether that is the best system.
IAN MACKEY
MO REPRESENTATIVE
(D-St. Louis)
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