There will not be two early voting issues for Missouri voters to consider on November’s ballot.
Secretary of State Jason Kander has announced that an early voting initiative petition has failed to receive enough signatures in four congressional districts. To be certified a petition to amend the Constitution must receive valid signatures from a number of registered voters equal to eight percent of the total votes cast in the 2012 governor’s election in six congressional districts.
The state legislature approved a proposed early voting amendment that is set to appear on the November ballot. It would change the Missouri Constitution to allow voters to mail in ballots or vote in-person during business hours. Early voting would end on the Wednesday before the election, and would only happen if the legislature approves funding for it.
Some Democrats in the House and Kander were critical of the legislature’s proposal, saying it was only meant to distract voters from the less restrictive initiative petition.
A lawsuit has been filed challenging the legislature’s proposal, alleging its ballot language is misleading for not telling voters about the funding issue and that early voting would be limited to regular business hours.