Have you made your plan to vote YES ON 6 by November 3rd??
Absentee voting with an excuse is already open!
Make sure you're registered by October 7th (that's next week)!
You can vote early in person starting October 20th!
And Election Day is November 3rd!!
The endorsement quotes are long so I'm leading with canvassing :). We are launching our canvassing efforts this Saturday across Missouri. Head to respectMOvoters.org/a6canvass to sign up for a shift near you (more events being added all the time so if you don't see one near you, check back!). We need everyone's help to make sure Amendment 6 passes in November!
And in endorsement news, Amendment 6 is bringing Republicans and Democrats together to protect the power of Missouri voters.
Today, the Yes on Amendment 6 campaign announced endorsements from former U.S. Senator Jack Danforth and former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander. Amendment 6, which will be on the November ballot, protects Missourians’ constitutional right to put issues on the ballot, requires clear and fair ballot language, and protects citizen-led initiatives from being overturned by politicians.
Danforth, an ordained Episcopal priest, served two terms as Missouri Attorney General before representing Missouri in the U.S. Senate for 18 years, from 1976 to 1995. He later served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.
> “Preserving the initiative petition process and respecting the will of the people are essential checks and balances when elected officials become too invested in maintaining the status quo. That’s why today I’m endorsing Amendment 6, which will make it substantially more difficult for legislators to overturn measures that the people voted into law, while stopping politicians from deceiving voters with confusing ballot language. For 118 years, Missourians have enjoyed the constitutional freedom to petition their government when legislators of both parties have ignored the voice of the people. I support the efforts of the Respect Missouri Voters initiative and urge Missourians to vote yes on Amendment 6 this November.”
> — Former Missouri Attorney General and U.S. Senator Jack Danforth
Kander, an Afghanistan veteran, served as a state representative before becoming Missouri’s Secretary of State from 2013 to 2017, leading the office responsible for administering statewide elections and Missouri’s initiative petition process. After leaving office, Kander founded Let America Vote, an organization focused on voting rights.
> “Respecting the will of the people isn’t a partisan issue. But when politicians from either party attempt to overturn voter-approved measures or make it more difficult for everyday citizens to exercise their constitutional rights, safeguards are needed to keep them from amassing too much power at the expense of the people. I urge all Missourians to vote for Amendment 6 so that the people have their vote protected, not overturned, and so that Missourians actually understand what they are voting on by preventing lawmakers from playing political games with ballot summaries. As Missouri’s former top election official, I know firsthand the role citizen-led initiatives have played over these past 118 years in providing an invaluable check and balance on Missouri politicians. This November please join me in voting yes on Amendment 6.”
> — Former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander
Next stop, MO Supreme Court!
From our press release following the Cole County ruling:
>“We are appealing and are confident that the courts will ultimately uphold the voices of more than 367,000 Missourians and let the people decide,” said former Sen. Bob Johnson (R-Lee’s Summit). “Those Missourians signed a petition, followed Missouri’s initiative petition process, and deserve the opportunity to decide the measure for themselves to make it harder for politicians to overturn what voters decided.”
Amendment 6 (the Respect MO Voters amendment) will:
Learn more and get involved at respectMOvoters.org
Here's our press release about the lawsuit filed this morning.
We've got a rally tomorrow (Friday, August 7) at noon in front of the SOS office in Jeff City - would love if you could make it! RSVP
**Edit: Livestream of the rally here! **
Learn more and get involved at respectMOvoters.org
(sorry for multiple posts in one week - lots going on!)
Like we said yesterday, we're going to fight and we're going to win! And we'd love it if you joined us at a rally on Friday!
Let us know you're coming here!
>Secretary of State Denny Hoskins is working overtime to keep Respect MO Voters off the ballot, and stop our initiative from becoming Amendment 6 and going to a vote of the people on Nov. 3rd. >Join Respect MO Voters in Jefferson City THIS Friday, August 7, at noon outside of the Secretary of State's Office to announce our lawsuit and to show your support for letting Missouri vote on Amendment 6.
Like we said yesterday, we're going to fight and we're going to win! And we'd love it if you joined us at a rally on Friday!
Let us know you're coming here!
>Secretary of State Denny Hoskins is working overtime to keep Respect MO Voters off the ballot, and stop our initiative from becoming Amendment 6 and going to a vote of the people on Nov. 3rd.
Join Respect MO Voters in Jefferson City THIS Friday, August 7, at noon outside of the Secretary of State's Office to announce our lawsuit and to show your support for letting Missouri vote on Amendment 6.
We're going to fight and we're going to win!
>
Jefferson City, Mo.—The Respect Missouri Voters citizen-led ballot initiative released the following statements following Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins’s press conference:
>“Today, the Missouri Secretary of State invented an unprecedented, illegal ability to block Missouri voters from accessing their Constitutional right to have a say on measures at the ballot,” said former Sen. Bob Johnson (R-Lee’s Summit). “This brazen disregard for the will of the people is exactly why the people of Missouri came together to gather signatures, donate, and place the Respect Missouri Voters Amendment on the ballot for November, because we are sick of these games in Jefferson City.”
>“Respect Missouri Voters is confident that the amendment follows the constitution and gathered more than the required support from Missouri voters,” said DeMarco K. Davidson, Executive Director of Metropolitan Congregations United. “More than 367,000 Missourians signed this citizen-led petition because they believe voters deserve a clear, fair, and transparent process to decide the future of our state.”
>“Missourians have the right to amend our constitution by initiative petition. The Respect Missouri Voters Amendment is limited to one subject and one article. We believe every necessary legal action should be taken to defend Missouri voters from the Secretary of State’s unprecedented abuse of power,” said Jake Hummel, President of the Missouri AFL-CIO.
>“Hundreds of thousands of citizens, far more than required, signed to demand that the Respect Missouri Voters Amendment appear on the ballot,” said Toni Easter, volunteer and co-founder of Respect Missouri Voters. “This is an unprecedented abuse of power that goes beyond the substance of this petition and attacks the century-old constitutional freedom of citizens to exercise our voice by direct democracy, independent of the legislature. Our petition was reviewed and approved for circulation. We intend to take every necessary legal action to ensure the people of Missouri will be heard.”
Learn more, get involved, and help us with the legal battle ahead: respectMOvoters.org
Here's a video from our co-founder.
>"How hard is it to just say what you mean? For some of Missouri's top officials, it’s apparently next to impossible — at least when it comes to accurately and honestly leveling with their constituents about the content of ballot initiatives."
So many good quotes in this one! We really need to make sure the Respect MO Voters Amendment passes in November (we think it will be Amendment 6 but aren't using that much yet in case of more Secretary of State trickery). We also really need to make sure Amendment 4 fails on August 4th! Learn more and get involved at respectMOvoters.org
>After being brushed back from the plate by the voters on those and other issues in recent years, you’d think those officials would show a little humility. Instead, they have repeatedly moved to undo what the voters have done, while attempting to fool them into approving or defeating future referendums with ballot language that at times has qualified as outright trickery.
^ yep!
>The piece also quotes an elections expert noting that there’s little disincentive for officials who engage in this kind of crass dishonesty with their own constituents because there “isn’t any other sort of punishment when they defy the legal standards.” Only the voters can remedy that.
^ that's us!
There's a lot going on in this article, but this quote stands out (bolding mine):
>Missouri’s proposal would go further than raising a statewide percentage or demanding signatures from more places. It would tie final approval of citizen-led amendments to congressional districts — political boundaries drawn by lawmakers.
The lawmakers make the boundaries for the districts, giving them even more power to put their thumbs on the scale and thwart the will of the majority of Missourians if Amendment 4 passes.
Please tell a friend today about Amendment 4 and encourage them to vote no by August 4th!
Want to get involved and help us spread the word about the damage Amendment 4 would do to our right to use the initiative petition process? Head to respectMOvoters.org and sign up today!
Hello! We are going to be knocking doors and talking to neighbors about the important election on August 4th and why everyone should vote NO on Amendment 4 on 8.4.26! We have some canvassing kickoff events planned - please join us if you can!
Columbia - 10am-1pm at Boone County Dem. Party Office (409 Vandiver Dr. Bldg 104)
Kansas City - 10am-2pm at MNEA (4224 S Hocker Dr. Ste 200 in Independence)
Springfield - 11am-6pm at Ozarks Pridefest in downtown Springfield
St. Louis - 10am-2pm at UFCW 655 (300 Weidman Rd in Ballwin)
Just a reminder:
Register to vote by July 8th so that you can vote on August 4th!
That's one month from today, so now's a great time to remind everyone you know!
Huge thank you to everyone who volunteered, donated, and signed!
There's still more to do to make sure this passes! Learn more and get involved at respectMOvoters.org