On Nov. 8, Missourians will take to the ballot boxes to cast their votes in the general election. A number of state and federal officials are up for election or re-election. Another piece published in this issue of the Hilltop Monitor addresses the critical race for President between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. While national elections are important, local and state elections are also crucial — local elections may even have more impact on a community than national elections. This article, however, focuses on six ballot initiatives in the State of Missouri. 

Register to Vote!

In order to vote on any of these ballot initiatives or in any federal or state election, you must be eligible and registered to vote. To register to vote in Missouri, you must be a United States citizen, a resident of Missouri, and 17 ½ years old (although you must be 18 by Election Day).

According to the Secretary of State, a person cannot vote in Missouri elections if they are imprisoned, on probation or parole after a felony conviction, have been convicted of a voting-related felony or misdemeanor, or declared incapacitated.

The registration deadline in Missouri is the fourth Wednesday before Election Day – for the upcoming Nov. 5 election, that deadline is Oct. 9.

You can register to vote or check your registration status with the Missouri government here.

Local Ballot Initiatives

First, though: what is a ballot initiative?

Ballot initiatives are measures placed on a state or local ballot. These initiatives can propose anything, from bonds for water towers to legalizing marijuana (which was legalized in Missouri by initiative in 2022). In Missouri, such initiatives can be generated in two ways.

Any citizen can create an initiative petition to enact legislation or update the Missouri Constitution. To appear on the ballot, a petitioner must send the text of their initiative and necessary signatures to the Secretary of State (currently Jay Ashcroft) within six months of an election.

If a proposal seeks to amend the Constitution, it requires 8% of eligible voters in two-thirds of Missouri’s eight Congressional districts to sign a petition. If it seeks to amend state law, it only needs 5% of eligible voters to sign off on the petition.

While the Missouri state legislature can also propose constitutional amendments by joint resolution, it cannot enact these amendments unilaterally. Regardless of how a measure comes to the Missouri people, a simple majority is required to pass any measure. 

Nov. Ballot Measures in Missouri

 To avoid bias or subjectivity, this article uses  the official Fair Ballot Language provided by the secretary of state’s office whenever possible. This Fair Ballot Language will appear on official ballots on Election Day.

Amendment 2

What’s it about? Legalizing sports betting in Missouri

How did it get here? Amendment 2 was proposed by initiative petition.

What does it say?

“Do you want to amend the Missouri Constitution to:

• allow the Missouri Gaming Commission to regulate licensed sports wagering including online sports betting, gambling boats, professional sports betting districts and mobile licenses to sports betting operators;
• restrict sports betting to individuals physically located in the state and over the age of 21;
• allow license fees prescribed by the Commission and a 10% wagering tax on revenues received to be appropriated for education after expenses incurred by the Commission and required funding of the Compulsive Gambling Prevention Fund; and
• allow for the general assembly to enact laws consistent with this amendment?

State governmental entities estimate onetime costs of $660,000, ongoing annual costs of at least $5.2 million, and initial license fee revenue of $11.75 million. Because the proposal allows for deductions against sports gaming revenues, they estimate unknown tax revenue ranging from $0 to $28.9 million annually. Local governments estimate unknown revenue.”

The context: In 2018, the Supreme Court overturned a federal law barring states from legalizing sports betting. Since then, 38 states and the District of Columbia have voted to legalize betting on professional sports. Under Amendment 2, sports betting would not include fantasy sports, “wagering on the performance or nonperformance of any [collegiate] athlete [from Missouri],” or wagering on youth events.

Amendment 3

What’s it about? Reproductive rights

How did it get here? Amendment 3 was proposed by initiative petition.

What does it say?

“Do you want to amend the Missouri Constitution to:

• establish a right to make decisions about reproductive health care, including abortion and contraceptives, with any governmental interference of that right presumed invalid;
• remove Missouri’s ban on abortion;
• allow regulation of reproductive health care to improve or maintain the health of the patient;
• require the government not to discriminate, in government programs, funding, and other activities, against persons providing or obtaining reproductive health care; and
• allow abortion to be restricted or banned after Fetal Viability except to protect the life or health of the woman?

State governmental entities estimate no costs or savings, but unknown impact. Local governmental entities estimate costs of at least $51,000 annually in reduced tax revenues. Opponents estimate a potentially significant loss to state revenue.”

The context: In 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, two cases that established federal protections for abortion to a certain point in pregnancy. In effect, the Supreme Court returned this decision to each state. Under a 2019 statute not in force until this decision, Missouri immediately banned all abortion in the state, including in cases of sexual violence.

Proposals to legalize abortion have succeeded in seven states: Kansas, Kentucky, California, Michigan, Vermont, Montana, and Ohio). According to New York Magazine, measures to enshrine or expand abortion rights are also on the ballot in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, and South Dakota.

Amendment 5

What’s it about? Constructing a riverboat casino at Lake of the Ozarks

How did it get here? Amendment 5 was proposed by initiative petition.

What does it say?

Do you want to amend the Missouri Constitution to:

• allow the Missouri Gaming Commission to issue one additional gambling boat license to operate on the portion of the Osage River from the Missouri River to the Bagnell Dam;
• require the prescribed location shall include artificial spaces that contain water and are within 500 feet of the 100-year base flood elevation as established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency; and
• require all state revenues derived from the issuance of the gambling boat license shall be appropriated to early-childhood literacy programs in public institutions of elementary education?

State governmental entities estimate one-time costs of $763,000, ongoing costs of $2.2 million annually, initial fee revenue of $271,000, ongoing admission and other fee revenue of $2.1 million annually, and annual gaming tax revenue of $14.3 million. Local governments estimate unknown revenue.

The context: Currently, the Missouri Constitution only allows riverboat gambling on the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. This amendment would enable a gaming license to be issued for a gambling boat on the Osage River, near the Lake of the Ozarks. KCUR has reported that Bally’s, the operator of a Kansas City casino, plans to build a casino at the Lake.

Amendment 6

What’s it about? Sheriff’s pensions: part of “administration of justice” or no?

How did it get here? Missouri’s general assembly proposed this measure to voters.

What does it say?

“Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to provide that the administration of justice shall include the levying of costs and fees to support salaries and benefits for certain current and former law enforcement personnel?

State and local governmental entities estimate an unknown fiscal impact.”

What’s the context? In 2021, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that a $3 court fee going to sheriff’s retirement funds was not consistent with the Missouri Constitution. The Court argued that since the sheriffs’ retirement fund is not related to the administration of justice, Missouri courts could not collect that fee.

Passage of this amendment would enable the courts to continue collecting this fee by including the pensions of retired law enforcement personnel under “administration of justice.”

Amendment 7

What’s it about? Restricting ranked-choice voting and clarifying that only U.S. citizens can vote in state elections

How did it get here? Missouri’s general assembly proposed this measure to voters.

What does it say?

“Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to:

• Make the Constitution consistent with state law by only allowing citizens of the United States to vote;
• Prohibit the ranking of candidates by limiting voters to a single vote per candidate or issue; and
• Require the plurality winner of a political party primary to be the single candidate at a general election?

State and local governmental entities estimate no costs or savings.”

What’s the context? This amendment does two things.

First, it would prohibit non-citizens from voting, which Missouri law already does. Proponents of the measure claim that Missouri’s constitution, which states that “all citizens [may vote],” does not prevent localities from enabling non-citizens to vote.

Second, it prohibits Missourians from later adopting ranked-choice voting measures, which have been passed in a number of states. Ranked-choice voting permits voters to rank candidates in order of preference, an alternative to “strict plurality” voting, also known as “first past the post” voting. Opponents of the measure claim that these two provisions were included together to ban ranked-choice voting under the guise of prohibiting something already forbidden under state law.

Proposition A

What’s it about? Raising the minimum wage in Missouri

How did it get here? This proposition was proposed by initiative petition.

What does it say?

“Do you want to amend Missouri law to:

• increase minimum wage January 1, 2025 to $13.75 per hour, increasing $1.25 per hour each year until 2026, when the minimum wage would be $15.00 per hour;
• adjust minimum wage based on changes in the Consumer Price Index each January beginning in 2027;
• require all employers to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every thirty hours worked;
• allow the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to provide oversight and enforcement; and
• exempt governmental entities, political subdivisions, school districts and education institutions?

State governmental entities estimate one-time costs ranging from $0 to $53,000, and ongoing costs ranging from $0 to at least $256,000 per year by 2027. State and local government tax revenue could change by an unknown annual amount depending on business decisions.”

What’s the context? Missouri’s minimum wage is currently $12.30/hr. In 2018, Missouri voters approved Proposition B, a measure that increased the minimum wage gradually, to $12/hr in 2023. Afterward, the minimum wage would increase or decrease according to the Consumer Price Index. Businesses would also be required to provide a week of paid sick leave.

If Your Time is Short:

Missouri provides its citizens with ways to approve or reject proposed constitutional amendments and laws. Six measures are on the ballot for Nov. 8, during the general election. To make your voice heard on these issues, you must register to vote in Missouri. You can do this online through the Secretary of State or by going to the election office in your local county.

Since 2016, our news feeds have been dominated by the presence of former President Donald Trump. As he reenters the political arena, eyeing the 2024 presidency, two questions loom large: Can he secure victory in the election, and, if so, what will that mean for the United States?

Can He Win the Election?
Donald Trump’s early actions in the 2024 election race have been noteworthy. He first won Iowa, a crucial state. Since then other contenders have begun dropping out, leaving only Nikki Haley in the race. It would appear that Trump has secured the Republican nomination. It seems that the 2024 election will be a repeat of 2020, a battle against Trump and Biden. But what are the chances Trump can pull it off?

While Trump easily clinched the Jan. 23 New Hampshire primary, concerns arose from exit polls. Despite winning over a substantial portion of “very conservative” voters, a significant number of independent voters leaned towards Haley. 35% of Republican primary voters. In addition, the possibility of criminal conviction lingers, causing hesitancy among some supporters. 53 percent of respondents.” 

It is promising that some Republicans are criticizing Trump and refusing to vote for him, but it would be naive to say that Biden is pulling unanimous support from Democrats. Dissatisfaction, particularly among young voters, is palpable. “I want to show the Democratic Party as a young person that you still need to earn our vote and if you don’t, the consequences will be your career,” McKenzie, a young person who voted for Biden in  2020, said. “A Republican getting elected isn’t the end. It is the beginning of a much larger fight.” 

A rematch of Biden and Trump is about the last thing most Americans want. Talk of voting for the lesser of two evils is reemerging and people continue to be dissatisfied by the two party system and the election process. However, in the midst of the chaos there exists a very real possibility that Trump could emerge victorious in the 2024 election.

What’s in Store if Trump Wins?
The events of Jan. 6, 2021, a dark day in American history, loom large as we consider the potential consequences of a Trump victory. Never before had America seen such an anti-democratic display. Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law says it best: “The violent insurrection on January 6th was an attack on democracy itself—an effort to silence the voices of millions of voters, including record numbers of Black and Brown voters who cast decisive ballots in the 2020 election.” It is obvious that Trump has no qualms about attacking democracy. If he ends up back in power, who knows what he is capable of doing. 

If he does win, will anyone hold him accountable? The answer seems to be no. The reality is he has faced the courts, he has faced impeachment, and the very systems that work to maintain checks and balances in America have failed to restrain him. An article in form The Washington Post says it best: “A court system that could not control Trump as a private individual is not going to control him better when he is president of the United States…The one check Congress has on a rogue president, namely, impeachment and conviction, has already proved all but impossible — even when Trump was out of office and wielded modest institutional power over his party.” If Trump enters the Oval Office in 2025 he will have defeated almost everything we can throw at him. This will only make him that much harder to control. With an unprecedented history of legal challenges against him, Trump’s return to power could signify further democratic backsliding.

What Can We Do?
In the face of this uncertain future, proactive steps must be taken. Voting becomes a crucial tool not only in presidential elections but also at the local level. Calling for immediate reform and pressuring President Biden to fulfill campaign promises becomes imperative to address the concerns of a divided nation. Should Trump win, it’s essential not to succumb to political apathy but to stay engaged and vigilant, ensuring that democratic values are preserved.

As the political landscape unfolds, the nation finds itself at a crossroads, grappling with the potential resurgence of Donald Trump and the uncertainties that may follow. The power to shape the future lies not just with political figures but with the collective actions and decisions of the American people.