UPDATE:
Tues. Feb. 28, 2023
SJR 28 passed out of committee Monday afternoon! Thank you to everyone who reached out to Senators to make your voice heard!
Next step: We need to get SJR 28 to the Senate floor ASAP. New action alert coming soon.
Mon. Feb 27, 2023
URGENT!! IHC Action Alert
SJR 28 Carter — CMR
The Senate Local Government and Elections committee is scheduled to meet TODAY, February 27 at 2:00 pm. They will be considering whether to pass on two measures to the rest of the Senate, HJR 28 (Carter) and HJR 43 (Henderson).
Please contact the Senators in the committee (see action alert at the bottom of the email). Do this immediately. The executive session begins at 2:00.
We are all painfully aware that it’s too easy for special interests to change our Constitution.
One of the most troubling things is the fact that, as it is now, the large urban areas can generate enough votes to carry progressive ballot issues. That’s because it takes only a simple majority vote to adopt any amendment. 50% plus 1.
Our conservative strongholds in rural areas don’t get much voice where constitutional amendments are concerned. Just look at this map of the vote on Amendment 3 (added 38 pages and corrupting monopolistic protections for some sellers, etc.), last fall:
There’s a remedy for this problem. Concurrent Majority Ratification (CMR) is based on the same principle as the Electoral College and is a way to ensure that the ENTIRE state has a say. Here’s how it works…
CMR uses one vote, but it counts the vote two ways, and making a change to the Constitution would require a majority vote both ways:
- It tallies the statewide popular vote, like we do now. A statewide simple majority vote would be required to ratify a proposed change to the Constitution.
- That same vote of the people would also be tallied in each state House district. A majority of those 163 House districts would have to, each on its own, have had a majority yes vote for ratification. (Note that 111 of those House districts are held by Republicans.)
So, to change the Constitution, CMR would require BOTH conditions be met.
The idea is to ensure that ALL Missouri citizens have a real voice in amending the Constitution.
Download this brochure for more details: www.mofirst.org/issues/ratification/CMR-Booklet.pdf
LEGISLATION ON THE TABLE THIS MONDAY
The good news is that Republicans in both the Missouri House and Senate are eager to do something – they just need some common sense guidance from the rest of us.
SJR 28 is the very best solution. It requires the concurrent majority described above. It uses House districts for the second prong and it applies whether amendments are proposed by the legislature, petition, OR a constitutional convention. We need to tell the committee to pass it as is.
HCS HJR43, as it came from the House, uses a totally different approach that doesn’t give as much voice to rural Missouri. It simply raises the vote requirement from a simple majority to 60%.
There are three MAJOR problems with that approach:
- The voters in every state that has tried that have turned it down in recent years. The odds of ratifying it are very slim, so we would be left with the simple majority process we have now when faced with the likely abortion vote in 2024.
- A 60% requirement won’t give much voice to rural Missouri, especially as urban areas grow.
- A 60% requirement will allow the progressive urban areas to kill conservative ballot measures with just a 40% no vote.
POTENTIAL SUBSTITUTE FOR HJR 43 IS STILL PROBLEMATIC
Senator Andrew Koenig has drafted a potential substitute for HJR 43 than makes some improvements, but still has three fatal flaws.
- His substitute wisely uses concurrent majority ratification, but it uses Congressional Districts instead of state House districts. That means the rural areas still will have MUCH less voice.
- What’s worse, Senator Koenig’s approach applies only to amendments proposed by petitions, NOT those proposed by the legislature or a whole new constitution proposed by a constitutional convention. That’s right, under his proposal, it would still require only a simple majority vote to change the entire constitution!
- That’s not even the worst problem, though, because voters will flat reject an idea that holds the legislature aloof from the people. The optics during the campaign against HJR 43 will be terrible for the Republican brand.
SJR 28 is the very best solution. It requires the concurrent majority described above. It uses House districts for the second prong and it applies whether amendments are proposed by the legislature, petition, OR a constitutional convention. We need to tell the committee to pass it as is.
What Can You Do?
Before NOON, call and email each of the Republican members of the Local Government and Elections committee, AND pro tem Caleb Rowden and floor leader Cindy O’Laughlin. Tell them that citizens back home want them to advance SJR 28 as is and also advance HJR 43 after changing its language to mirror SJR 28.
Tell them you want them to put rural Missouri on equal footing by using state House districts, NOT congressional districts, and that you want the concurrent majority ratification process to apply to ALL THREE ways the state Constitution can be amended, whether by a legislative proposal, petition or a constitutional convention.
Call now and leave a message on their voicemail. Send emails now to give them time to see the messages.
The Elections Committee:
Senator Elain Gannon (chairman)– 573-751-4008 – elaine.gannon@senate.mo.gov
Senator Sandy Crawford – 573-751-8793 – sandy.crawford@senate.mo.gov
Senator Jill Carter – 573-751-2173 – jill.carter@senate.mo.gov
Senator Mary Elizabeth Coleman – 573-751-1492 – maryelizabeth.coleman@senate.mo.gov
Senator Andrew Koenig – 573-751-5568 – andrew.koenig@senate.mo.gov
Leadership:
Pro tem Caleb Rowden – 573-751-3931 – caleb.rowden@senate.mo.gov
Floor Leader Cindy O’Laughlin – 573-751-7985 — cindy.olaughlin@senate.mo.gov
