High number of ballot petitions filed in state

ST. LOUIS -- Advocates are gathering petitions for more proposed ballot issues than ever before in Missouri, and voters could see a record number of ballot proposals next year, which may be an indication of the public's deep dissatisfaction with political leaders, one expert said.

More than 170 ballot proposals were submitted to state officials by mid-December, and the number could grow before a May 8 deadline for signature-gathering on petitions.

The more than 170 ballot proposals submitted so far in 2015 surpasses the 143 submitted in the 2012 presidential election cycle. Most of the ballot referenda will not make it through the process required to be placed on the ballot, but the trend toward more petition-driven ballot proposals is growing, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

The variety of ballot proposals includes efforts to tighten political ethics rules, loosen marijuana laws, raise the state minimum wage and increase tobacco taxes.

Ken Warren, a political science professor at St. Louis University, called the high number of proposals "ridiculous" and worried it is "defeating the whole purpose of a representative democracy." The trend shows how dissatisfied people are with politicians, and people are better educated in activism, he said.

"Some people feel that our elected leaders are just letting us down, and that there's no hope at all for your representatives to really represent you," he said. "So you have to do an end run around them."

Measures can be placed on the ballot by the Legislature or after citizens gather enough signatures on petitions. Under the petition procedure, the secretary of state's office drafts ballot summary language of no more than 100 words, and the auditor's office prepares a fiscal-impact statement.

Both must be approved by the attorney general. If they are approved, the issue is certified as the official ballot title. A public comment period runs from when the petition is received to when it's certified for circulation.

As of mid-December, the Secretary of State's office had certified about 70 petitions, meaning the official ballot title has been certified and proponents can begin gathering signatures.

Of the nine ballot measures on the statewide ballot in 2014, just one was put there via the petition method.

Some activists say they use the ballot initiative because it's the only option in states where the legislature is controlled by one party, such as Republican-controlled Missouri.

"When you go through the initiative process, there is a level of certainty that you don't have when you go through the Missouri Legislature," said Jack Cardetti of the group New Approach Missouri, which is pushing a proposal to legalize medical marijuana, which he believes would not get through the current legislative system. "The other drawback of going through the legislative process is that you have to make so many compromises that you end up with legislation that is less effective."

The number of signatures needed to get a measure on the ballot is based on a percentage of the votes cast in the previous gubernatorial election and varies based on whether the proposal seeks to change the state constitution or state laws. This year, the lowest number of signatures needed for a proposal to change state statute is about 99,000. For a petition to change the state constitution, it's about 158,000.