February 22, 2012

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Primary election filing date change advances in House Committee

February 20, 2012 By

The House Committee on Elections has given a favorable vote to the Senate bill that would push back filing dates for the August primary one month. The move is intended to allow time for the courts to settle issues with state house and senate, and congressional districts.

Representatives Stacy Newman and Pat Conway

The measure was opposed by two Democrats on that Committee. Representative Stacey Newman (D-St. Louis County) says she wants to be sure the Secretary of State’s Office can pick up the cost of publishing a notice of that date change so that county clerks don’t have to. “I’d like to make sure … it’s no fault of anyone’s here, but just to make sure that their budget is not being penalized because of this additional cost.”

Committee Chairman Tony Dugger (R-Hartville) told Newman he assumes that money is already built-in to the fiscal year 2012 budget. “I think they often put an ‘E’ in some of those line items that allows discretion of the Secretary of State to pay for such things as these.”

Representative Pat Conway (D-St. Joseph) suggested that filing dates be pushed back only for the offices whose districts are in question, pending court action. “That will also allow local election officials to start preparing their ballots because that will be a lengthy process when you get into entailing all of the issues that are going to be on the August ballot.”

See the language of SB 773

The votes of Conway and Newman were the only two against the measure, which advances to the House Rules Committee.

Filed Under: 2012 Campaign, Elections, Legislature, News, Politics & Government Tagged With: , , ,

New senate mapping panel plans fast track effort (AUDIO)

February 20, 2012 By

The second citizens senate redistricting commission is holding public hearings before meeting in Jefferson City Wednesday to start working on a map. The commission met for the first time Saturday at the Capitol, held a public hearing in Jefferson City yesterday, is holding one in Kansas City today, and will hold its required third hearing tomorrow in St. Louis.

The chairman, Springfield lawyer Doug Harpool, a former state representative who was on the first commission that deadlocked last year, wants the commission to stay on-task after finishing the public hearings tomorrow. “There are so many anxious people, I think for us to take a week off and not meet will raise anxiety levels. Let’s meet and see where we are,” he tells the commission. 

                                         AUDIO: Harpool  :16

He has posted his first proposal on the Office of Administration website and expects others to be posted during the process. 

The first citizens commission deadlocked, throwing the process into the hands of a panel of judges, who came up with a plan that has been thrown out by the state supreme court. That led to the appointment of a new commission of five Republicans and five Democrats. 

There’s no chance a new map can be in place before legislative candidate filing begins a week from tomorrow, February 28th. Legislation to push the filing date back by a month has cleared the senate and will be before a House committee this afternoon.

 

Filed Under: 2012 Campaign, Elections, Featured, Legislature, News, Politics & Government

Missouri’s congressional district maps back in supreme court (AUDIO)

February 16, 2012 By

Missouri’s U.S House Districts are again being challenged in Supreme Court. Much of the high court’s focus was on Jackson County and surrounding areas.

The state constitution says Congressional districts must be drawn “as compact and nearly equal in population as may be.”

Attorney Gerry Greiman says a tear drop section that was carved out of the fifth district and added to the 6th lumps urban Jackson County voters with a wide swath of rural territory. The  6th District comprises most of northern Missouri, from state line to state line.

Judge Gary Lynch questioned his definition of compactness, asking if there are eight definitions, as Greiman indicated, then by which standard should the map be drawn to meet constitutional muster?

Judges Ray Price and Laura Denvir Stith were equally as inquisitive of the defense, asking State Solicitor James Layton how a tear drop carved out of Jackson County’s 5th district could be anything but a violation of the constitutional compactness rule.

This is the second time the case has been heard in Supreme Court, which last time remanded the case back to Cole County Circuit Court.

The state constitution says districts have to be composed of contiguous territory as compact and as nearly equal in population as may be. Greiman contends the map does not do that and is a clear case of gerrymandering.

Missouri lost a congressional seat in the 2010 census because our state’s population did not keep pace with other states’ growth.

The legislature that was charged with drawing the boundaries is Republican controlled. Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed the map, but the Legislature had enough votes to override that veto.

The case before the Supreme Court includes two suits rolled in to one case. The suits, cohesively, object to the Kansas City and Jackson County districts, the 3rd District in central Missouri, which reaches eastward to the St. Louis, as well as the two “lobster claws” that surround St. Louis proper. The suit also points to faults in the state’s west-central 4th District and the 7th District to the southwest.

AUDIO: Jessica Machetta reports (1:08)

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Elections, Featured, Legislature, News

Candidate filing bill sent to House (AUDIO)

February 16, 2012 By

The senate finishes its part of the last-days effort to delay filing for statewide and legislative offices by a month. 

The bill heads to the House where some members are said to be reluctant to take action. 

Filing is to start February 28th. But a Senate redistricting commission is not expected to have a map of new districts until mid-March.  Senate sponsor Mike Parson of Bolivar says he has heard some House members don’t want to delay filing, although he hopes the House leadership doesn’t let them block passage.

Cape Girardeau Senator Jason Crowell refers to the reluctant House members as “cowards” and says they don’t want possible opponents have another month to consider running against them. 

The citizens commission drawing new lines holds its first meeting Saturday at the capitol.

Challenges to the maps for House and Congressional districts are still in the courts.  The Missouri Supreme Court heard the challenge to congressional districts today.

 The House has scheduled a technical session tomorrow to accept the filing delay bill and other measures approved today by the Senate.

AUDIO: Final Passage debate 21:08

Filed Under: Elections, Featured, Legislature, News, Politics & Government

Senate advances filing deadline delay (AUDIO)

February 15, 2012 By

The state senate is fast-tracking a bill to move candidate filing dates back a month. Senator Mike Parson of Bolivar says there isn’t enough time for a citizens commission to draw new maps of senate districts and have them ready by the regular opening of filing on February 28th. He’d push the opening of filing back to March 27th.

Other redistricting maps remain in the courts.  The state supreme court hears a challenge to congressional districts tomorrow.  The districts for House of Representatives remain under court challenge.  

The Senate is likely to send the bill to the House next week.  Parson says the House probably will have to suspend some of its rules to pass the bill next week.     

AUDIO: senate debate 30:03                         

 

 

Filed Under: Elections, Featured, Legislature, News, Politics & Government
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