Protecting the Initiative Process

Audrey Spalding, one of the Show-Me Institute’s policy analysts, had a new op-ed published by the Missouri Record today, about a proposal by Missouri Sen. Jolie Justus that would make it much more difficult for citizens to bring issues to the state ballot. Here’s an excerpt:

Justus’ proposal will make it at least 50 percent harder (and that much more expensive) for Missourians to bring an issue to statewide voters. She proposes requiring that groups collect signatures from registered voters in all congressional districts. That would mean groups would have to collect, at minimum, signatures from an additional 45,000 registered Missouri voters. That’s at least another $100,000 in expenses. Why would Justus want to restrict this process further, so that only the most wealthy individuals and groups can participate?

Be sure to read the whole thing! And thanks to Brandon Holmes at Citizens in Charge for alerting us to this story.