A state Senate bill is moving through the House that would change the process for how amendment questions appear on election ballots. A House committee passed the measure (SB 22) to give the courts less power writing the language that describes a question on the ballot.
Bill sponsor Senator Rick Bratton of District 31 in western Missouri explained, “The current law allows us for the judicial branch, in terms of challenging this ballot language, allows them to rewrite a ballot language… talk about judicial overstepping.”
Republicans are frustrated with voters passing Amendment 3 in November, making abortion legal again. They blame the ballot explanation for the success of the citizen initiative petition. Senator Rick Bratton’ says his bill is a compromise with Democrats and and allows the Missouri Secretary of State to be a larger part of the process.
“Three bites of the apple, so to speak, of rewriting the ballot language of having to go back and forth with the Secretary of State. So that was actually the Democrats were in the Senate, were the ones that came with that. My original language was again to remove the capability altogether. This just allowed that that tiered process, or stepped process, ” Brattin said in committee.
Denise Lieberman directs the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, self described as a non-partisan voter rights group.
“We should reject Senate Bill 22 because it strips those critical checks and balances and would allow ballot summaries that would be biased and argumentative, unfair and manipulative. Missouri’s voters deserve better,” she told the House Committee on Elections.
Lieberman, questioned by Rep. John Simmons of Franklin County, said the courts are responsible for correcting legal errors
“The courts in Missouri do have that authority, and that’s what we’re asking to do. Remember, the courts are not changing any aspect of the law itself that has been proposed by the legislature or by citizen initiative,” she argued.
“But they are changing what the people are seeing when they go to vote. They’re not typically reading the 2030, 4050, pages. So it is of utmost importance from this by this committee, obviously.” replied Simmons.