All articles tagged with #initiative petitions
The Missouri House approved a gerrymandered congressional map and restrictions on citizen initiative petitions, with both measures heading to the Senate amid partisan tensions and legal challenges, aiming to favor Republicans and limit direct democracy.
The Missouri Supreme Court has rejected Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft's appeal to defend his ballot summary for initiative petitions seeking to legalize abortion in the state constitution. Ashcroft's summaries were criticized for containing politically partisan language, and the court upheld a previous decision in favor of the ACLU and physician Anna Fitz-James, who challenged the language. Ashcroft argued that his summaries accurately reflected the petitions' scope, but the court disagreed. Proponents of the abortion initiatives have not yet announced which version they will move forward with in collecting signatures. Another attempt to get abortion on the 2024 ballot has been filed by Jamie Corey, who is also suing Ashcroft over the ballot summary for her original initiative petitions.
The Missouri Supreme Court has declined to consider cases regarding the ballot summaries and costs for initiative petitions that would legalize abortion in the state. This decision is seen as a victory for abortion rights proponents, who were seeking a favorable ballot summary before deciding on which initiative petition to circulate. The court's denial effectively ends a lengthy legal battle and allows proponents to gather the necessary signatures by May. Meanwhile, another group has begun gathering signatures for an initiative that would scale back Missouri's abortion ban, legalizing abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy with exceptions for rape, incest, fatal fetal abnormalities, and risks to the mother's health or safety.
A judge in Missouri has rejected the ballot titles written by Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft for six initiative petitions seeking to protect the right to abortion in the state's constitution. The judge ruled that the summaries were "argumentative" and biased, and failed to mention the initiatives' protections for contraceptives and reproductive health needs. The judge also upheld the fiscal note summary written by state Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick, dismissing claims that the initiatives would impose significant costs. The decision on which initiatives to circulate has been delayed due to ongoing litigation, and backers must secure over 170,000 signatures from registered voters by early May to make the 2024 ballot.