Amendment 4 proposal sparks debate on government overreach

Brian J. Bartels — Fri, 04 Nov 2022 14:00:00 +0000

On Nov. 8, Missouri voters will have the opportunity to vote “yes” or “no” on this year’s midterm election ballot in response to a proposed amendment to the Missouri constitution.

A vote “yes” on the proposal would effectively amend Section 21, Article X of the Missouri Constitution and allow the Missouri General Assembly to increase the minimum funding required for police forces that are established by a state board of police commissioners. The amendment would create an exception to Section 21, which otherwise forbids funding increases of services unless the state specifically pays for that increase. Because the Kansas City Police Department is currently the only state-controlled police force in Missouri, the proposed amendment would only affect the KCPD and Kansas City for the time being. The primary outcome would be an increase in the KCPD’s minimum funding by 2027 without reimbursement to the city. A vote “no” would veto this proposal.

Advocates of Amendment 4 suggest that this bill would prevent further attempts to defund the KCPD, as explained by Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer (R-34) who sponsored the measure.

“This [amendment] ensures the brave men and women in the KCPD have the resources they need to keep our city safe,” Sen. Luetkemeyer said.

Other advocates for the amendment express concern that our local officials are not equipped to make these decisions themselves: “The actions of the mayor and city council last year raised tremendous alarm regarding the stability of funding for something as important as the Kansas City Police Department,” Rep. Doug Richey (R-39) said.

However, critics of Amendment 4 argue that the proposal would be an overreach of government power, noting that every other city in the state maintains lo CXCV cal control.

“It just makes absolutely no sense that the state legislature would dictate how our local government should allocate its resources – all for the protection of the police in response to a false narrative of defunding,” Gwen Grant, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, said.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas weighed in on the matter earlier this year, expressing a similar sentiment: “I do not support anything that takes away our ability to work with our local police department and neighborhood leaders in terms of how we get to better solutions for violent crime.”

While the common talking points appear to mirror a two-sided debate between Republican and Democratic parties, some argue that the issue should be a place of common ground between parties.

“This is not a Black or white issue,” Vernon Percy Howard Jr., adjunct professor of at William Jewell College, said. “This is an American issue, symptomatic of a democracy in crisis and under siege, where state overreach is rampant in the stripping of voting and governance power from the people.”

Howard – a Jewell graduate (‘86), pastor at St. Mark’s Church in Kansas City and President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Kansas City – continues: “[Amendment 4] further erodes democratic principles by stripping from local communities the voice and power to determine their own policies and budgets which impact the well-being of their children, families and communities…Don’t local communities reserve the right to self-governance on key local issues?”

In 2020, Howard was also the recipient of Jewell’s Invictus Social Justice Award and the Harold L. Holliday Civil Rights Award from the Missouri branch of the NAACP for his work in organizing and educating Kansas City communities about civil rights issues and activism. With proposals such as Amendment 4, Howard emphasized that voters should be aware of their historical and local implications.

“Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr….called this kind of overreach ‘interposition and nullification,’ citing the early mid-twentieth century movement among states to disrupt and turn back the rights of Blacks to vote and gain access and inclusion within the mainstream of American prosperity,” Howard said. “Critical thinkers and 21st century global leaders own the moral responsibility to remain awake on these issues. Particularly, the Jewell educated scholar, who takes seriously one of the critical questions of our core curriculum, which is, ‘how shall we live?'”

Election Day is on Nov. 8. Registered voters in Clay County can find their polling place here, and check their registration status here. For more voter resources, click on the link here.

Sophomore students encourage midterm voting through volunteer work

Erin Melton — Fri, 07 Nov 2014 16:00:35 +0000

Brett Stone and Caitlin Troutman, sophomores, volunteered for local campaigns during the midterm season.

Prior to the Nov. 4 midterm elections, William Jewell’s political communication students were required to place themselves in the midst of the campaign process. Class members, Caitlin Troutman and Brett Stone, sophomores, took part by volunteering for a call center and a Democratic canvassing campaign, respectively.

Troutman, an Oxbridge literature and theory and political science double major, worked for Communities Creating Opportunity (CCO). She was informed of this opportunity by the Political Communication, Kevin Garner, who composed a list of organizations and causes from which students could choose.

“I didn’t really want to work for a specific campaign. I just wanted to work more generally and tell people why it was important to vote,” Troutman said.

Troutman’s responsibilities for CCO included calling Missouri residents with past tendencies to vote in presidential but not midterm elections, and explaining the importance of voting in midterm elections.

Despite the challenges and uncomfortable situations she faced, including unreceptive and sometimes hostile responses to her calls, Troutman enjoyed her time with CCO.

“I got to meet a lot of cool people in the Liberty community, specifically, who care about important things, and that’s always refreshing,” Troutman said.

Troutmans’s personal ideas about the importance of voting led her to choose this kind of organization.

“Voting in the midterms is so important because it’s more of a direct vote. It’s how the opinions of people are made known to our representatives,” Troutman said. “Our age group is really underrepresented, but if we don’t vote, our opinions and positions can’t be made known.”

Brett Stone, English and political science major, canvassed in Overland Park, Ks. for Paul Davis, a Democrat running for governor. Both the candidate’s accessibility and positions on issues important to Stone guided him to this choice for his campaign participation.

Brett’s favorite part of his experience was a specific woman to whom he spoke, who he describes as friendly and enthusiastic for both the candidate and the election in general.

“It was really neat to meet somebody else who is as interested in politics as I am,” Stone said.

Contrary to this particualar voter’s warm receptions, Stone faced uncomfortable interactions with those who were wary of him or simply were not interested in what he had to say. He understood this, though, as being a natural, skeptical reaction toward anyone who approaches their doors.

However, Stone focused on representation with regard to important issues as a big incentive to participate in the midterm process.

“If you don’t vote, then whoever is elected won’t completely represent the electorate,” Stone said.

Troutman and Stone gave similar advice to those students who will take the political communication course, and participate in these kinds of activities in the future. Their emphasis was on setting aside enough time to find and participate in an election-focused activity the student truly cares about, reducing the chance of stressing over the required hours for the project. They both urge their peers to volunteer for a candidate, cause or campaign that truly speaks to them.

“If you’re looking for ways to get involved in the opportunity, do something you’re invested in, something you care about,” Troutman said.

midterm voting – The Hilltop Monitor

Amendment 4 proposal sparks debate on government overreach

Sophomore students encourage midterm voting through volunteer work