JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri voters will choose in November whether to hold a constitutional convention for the first time in nearly 80 years.
Although the question on the ballot is not as high profile as, for example, legalizing marijuana, a “yes” vote on the proposal could have significant repercussions on how the state operates in the future.
Changes to the constitution could affect everything from taxation and school funding to same-sex marriage and legislative term limits.
The question to open up the state’s guiding principles of law and order to either revision or elimination appears on the statewide ballot every two decades.
But, in the past three tries, dating to 1962, voters rejected the measure.
Despite its potential to significantly alter state government, Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, is taking no public position on the issue.
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“Governor Parson supports the right to vote on any topic,” spokeswoman Kelli Jones said in an email to the Post-Dispatch.
University of Missouri-St. Louis political science professor David Kimball suggested that the initiative may fail again this year.
He said Missouri voters have become comfortable with the way the state’s constitution works, including provisions that allow for them to decide issues via the ballot box.
“They may not see the need for a convention,” Kimball said.
There are four other questions on the Nov. 8 ballot, including the legalization of marijuana, changes to the way the state treasurer invests money, a Republican-led push to force Kansas City to spend more on police and a plan to make the Missouri National Guard its own department, rather than under the umbrella of the Department of Public Safety.
Since Missouri became a state in 1821, there have been four constitutions. The current version was adopted in 1945 and has undergone a number of amendments, ranging from the addition of legislative term limits to the legalization of medical marijuana.
If approved, the convention process would be launched by Parson.
First, the governor would have to call an election for delegates. There would be two delegates from each of the state’s 34 Senate districts and 15 at-large delegates.
At-large delegates would have to submit petitions to Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s office with signatures equaling at least 5% of the registered voters in their home senatorial district. The top vote-getters would become delegates.
The convention, which would be held at the Capitol in Jefferson City, would have no deadline and could make changes without a complete rewrite of the current constitution.
During debate in the Legislature in recent years, Republican lawmakers have complained about the length of Missouri’s constitution and some of its contents. They say the document should be a broad outline, rather than containing specific demands about, for example, bingo rules and medical marijuana regulations.
Once a new or altered constitution is approved, another election would be held asking voters whether they accept the changes.
If that vote is approved, the new alterations would take effect 30 days later.
Kimball said voters are unlikely to support a convention if no one decides to put money behind it before the polls open in November.
“Unless there is some coordinated campaign to urge a ‘yes’ vote, my guess is that those same general voter concerns would defeat it this time too,” Kimball said.