JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Senators heard dozens of legislations Monday that would ask voters if it should be harder to approve an initiative petition.
Republicans are saying it’s now more important than ever to increase the threshold of votes needed to approve a referendum, but those in opposition believe it’s an overreach of government.
“We believe that the voices of all Missourians deserve to be heard,” Denise Lieberman, from the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, said.
Some of the proposals include increasing the number of signatures needed, while others would require a concurrent majority or even make it mandatory that the issue win a majority in most of the legislative districts.
The push for change comes at a time when some are trying to put the abortion question on the ballot later this year. But Republicans say this problem came before that petition started circulating.
“I think there is an attempt to frame this issue primarily and only exclusively as an abortion issue, with the abortion initiative petition process already starting but this is something that people have been concerned about our constitutional integrity for a very long time,” Sen. Mary Coleman (R-Arnold), said.
The committee plans to vote on the legislation Tuesday.
