Decision on Tobacco Tax Initiative Challenged in Court

The Committee for a Healthy Future, which is trying to put a tobacco tax initiative on November’s ballot, has filed a lawsuit in Cole County Circuit Court to strike down a decision leaving the issue off the ballot. The Secretary of State’s office has ruled that the initiative petition effort failed to come up with the signatures needed. The office claimed the Committee was short by 274 valid signatures in the 5th Congressional District. The Committee claims to have found hundreds of signatures that were not counted as valid. The Committee initially submitted 238,000 signatures to the Secretary of State’s office in May, exceeding the approximately 150,000 needed to put the tobacco initiative on the ballot. The Committee hopes to have the case heard early next month.