Amendment 6, which expands the initiative and referendum petition process, won handily late Tuesday night, according to complete, but unofficial election results.
The amendment had 1,251,555, or 59.9 percent, yes votes and 835,585, or 40 percent, no votes. The measure required a simple majority to pass.
In Jefferson County, the amendment also passed by a wide margin with 44,822 yes votes (57.7 percent) and 32,821 no votes (42.2 percent).
The Secretary of State website said the measure would: expand the initiative and referendum petition process by making it a fundamental right; allow courts to revise ballot summaries through lawsuits; prohibit the legislature from weakening initiative or referendum powers; prohibit the legislature from changing or repealing laws enacted through the initiative process, or passing laws similar to those rejected by referendum, without approval from at least 80 percent of both chambers; and preserve existing majority vote and signature requirements for initiative and referendum petitions.
Justin Hamblen, 40, who was voting at the Fox C-6 Service Center, 849 Jeffco Blvd. in Arnold, said his concern was for large city voting to overwhelm the rest of the state.
“On Amendment 6, considering the population densities of St. Louis, Kansas City and Springfield, like Illinois where I grew up, you could have one or two cities govern the entire state,” Hamblen said. “If you have too much of a super majority required, it could decrease the rest of the state against the major populations.”
The RespectMoVoters group led a petition drive to put the measure on the ballot, according to the Ballotpedia website. Proponents say Amendment 6, if passed, would make it more difficult for legislators to overturn or weaken laws enacted through the initiative process.
John C. Danforth, former U.S. senator representing Missouri, came out for Amendment 6. He is quoted on the Respect Missouri Voters page on Facebook as saying, “Preserving the initiative petition process and respecting the will of the people are essential checks and balances when elected officials become too invested in maintaining the status quo. That’s why today I’m endorsing Amendment 6, which will make it substantially more difficult for legislators to overturn measures that the people voted into law, while stopping politicians from deceiving voters with confusing ballot language.”
Opponents said passage of Amendment 6 would circumvent the state’s constitutional republic form of government, and the proposed amendment covers too many issues.
Denny Hoskins, the Missouri secretary of state, initially blocked placing Amendment 6 on the ballot, saying it violated the state constitution's single-subject rule and that it contradicted the U.S. Constitution's guarantee that every American be served by a representative-republican form of government.
Amendment 6 supporters filed a lawsuit to have the matter placed on the ballot.
After a circuit court ruling initially sided with Hoskins, the Missouri Supreme Court reversed the lower court and ruled against him, thus allowing Amendment 6 to be placed on the Nov. 3 ballot, according to the Ballotpedia website.