On Nov. 5, Missouri voters will decide whether to allow ranked-choice voting in the state. Amendment 7, called the Require Citizenship to Vote and Prohibit Ranked-Choice Voting Amendment, would additionally require all voters in the state to be U.S. citizens.
The state does not currently use ranked-choice voting, a system that calls for voters to list candidates in order of preference on the ballot. Ten states have legislation banning ranked-choice voting, including Alabama, Florida, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Tennessee.
A ban would mean voters may select only one candidate per race or issue and ranked choice voting would be prohibited.
If Amendment 7 is approved, the line “All citizens of the United States” would be replaced in the state constitution with “Only citizens of the United States, including occupants of soldiers’ and sailors’ homes, over the age of 18 who are residents of this state and of the political subdivision in which they offer to vote are entitled to vote at all elections by the people.”
Secretary of State John R. Ashcroft said on his website that state and local governmental entities do not estimate any costs or savings if the amendment passes.
The organizations Election Transparency Initiative, Honest Elections Project and Stop RCV support Amendment 7.
State Rep. Adam Schwadron (R) also favors the measure requiring all voters to be U.S. citizens.
“In our opinion, the language in our constitution is ambiguous,” he said. “When you have the word ‘all’ citizens are able to vote instead of ‘only,’ that still does not preclude any local municipality from allowing non-citizens to vote.”
Better Ballot KC and Show Me Integrity oppose the amendment.
“You will see this measure on your November ballot, claiming that it stops noncitizens from voting – even though that has been illegal for a century,” said Benjamin D. Singer, chief executive officer of Show Me Integrity in a recent Kansas City Star column. “It’s an unnecessary and misleading proposal ... Buried in this misleading language is the heart of the amendment: hurting local control by attacking your freedom to decide what type of elections you want in your city or county.”
The official ballot language reads:
“Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to:
■ Make the Constitution consistent with state law by only allowing citizens of the United States to vote;
■ Prohibit the ranking of candidates by limiting voters to a single vote per candidate or issue; and
■ Require the plurality winner of a political party primary to be the single candidate at a general election?
State and local governmental entities estimate no costs or savings.”