JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Two statewide ballot measures will be decided in the November election. One of those measures, Amendment 3, is more or less a vote on something Missourians voted on two years ago.
In 2018, we voted on something called “Clean Missouri.” That was controversial at the time because it included so many provisions, but the main sticking point was changing how our congressional districts are drawn in an effort to ensure fairness and competitiveness.
Some people thought it should have been tossed from the ballot because we are supposed to vote on single-issue items on the ballot. The measure passed with 62 percent of the vote.
Lawmakers have put it back on the ballot, along with other included measures, to try and put things pretty much back to where they were before voters passed Clean Missouri.
The ballot language for Amendment 3 is as follows (courtesy of Ballotpedia):
A “yes” vote supports amending the Missouri Constitution to enact the following changes:
- eliminate the nonpartisan state demographer and use a bipartisan commission appointed by the governor again for legislative redistricting,
- alter the criteria used to draw district maps,
- change the threshold of lobbyists’ gifts from $5 to $0, and
- lower the campaign contribution limit for state senate campaigns from $2,500 to $2,400.
A “no” vote opposes amending the Missouri Constitution, thereby maintaining:
- the state’s use of a nonpartisan state demographer for legislative redistricting,
- the existing criteria used to draw legislative districts, and
- the existing campaign finance and lobbying limits.
