The sides arguing in favor of and against Missouri’s tobacco tax initiative being on the November ballot appear before the State Supreme Court Wednesday. Initially, the Secretary of State had ruled the initiative lacked the valid signatures needed from the 5th Congressional District in Kansas City. After a legal challenge by initiative supporters, Cole County Circuit Judge Tom Brown ruled there were sufficient valid signatures and ordered the proposal be placed on the ballot. Attorney Marc Ellinger, representing Missourians Against Tax Abuse, hopes for a quick ruling, and hopes the some of what he calls the irregularities associated with the signature collection effort will convince the Supreme Court judges to overturn the lower court ruling. Cindy Erickson is with the Committee for a Healthy Future, which spearheaded the initiative. She expects a very quick ruling in the case and expects her side to emerge victorious. She’s confident the recently found signatures from the 5th District will be included in the total, giving supporters the numbers needed to have the issue voted on next month. A quick decision is desired and expected because the election less than five weeks away and ballots must be printed.
Related web sites:
Missouri Supreme Court Case Summary
