Secretary of State Robin Carnahan has exercised tremendous liberty in drafting the language for the Missouri Civil Rights Initiative, so much in fact, that organizers will mount a legal challenge to amend the official ballot title through the circuit court of Cole County as prescribed in Missouri Revised Statute 116.190.
“We have ten days to submit a formal challenge. Our plan is to file by the middle of next week,” said MCRI Executive Director Tim Asher.
Below is the recommended ballot language that was submitted by organizers to the Secretary of State:
Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to prohibit any form of discrimination as an act of the state by declaring:
The state shall not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education or public contracting.
Here is the official ballot title as certified by the Secretary of State:
Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to:
ban affirmative action programs designed to eliminate discrimination against, and improve opportunities for, women and minorities in public contracting, employment and education; and allow preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin to meet federal program funds eligibility standards as well as preferential treatment for bona fide qualifications based on sex?
The total cost or savings to state and local governmental entities is unknown. Most state governmental entities estimate no costs or savings, however, costs or savings related to future contracts are unknown. Some local governments estimate no costs or savings, but prohibition of certain municipal policies may result in unknown costs.
A little friendly partisanship anyone?
0 responses so far ↓
1 john h shackelford jr // Jul 21, 2007 at 2:08 pm
it looks great to me… somehting that should have been done long ago.
2 Michael Pakko // Jul 26, 2007 at 9:43 pm
Carnahan’s rewrite of the ballot initiative is outragous. Whether or not you agree with the proposal, the right of citizens to petition their government is fundamental. If the Secretary of State can require petitioners to completely reverse the language of their proposition, that right is rendered meaningless. The organizers should be allowed to circulate their petitions using the wording of their own choice.
The surprising part of this shenanigan is that it is so sloppy in its execution. Out of thin air, Carnahan adds that this proposal would “allow preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin to meet federal program funds eligibility standards.” Then when adding her assessment of the costs she produces a long-winded paragraph of complete gibberish that amounts to “I have no idea.” And speaking of nonsensical wording, what is “preferential treatment for bona fide qualifications based on sex?”
I would hope that this rabid demonstration of the abuse of administrative power inspires our lawmakers to strip the Secretary of State of any discretion whatsoever in rewriting ballot initiatives that are proposed by the People of this state, exercising their fundamental right of petition.
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