By Missouri Weighs Higher Bar for Ballot Measures
Missouri voters are deciding a proposal to raise the threshold for passing future state constitutional amendments by statewide ballot measure. The change would affect how citizen-initiated measures, including cannabis-related proposals, could amend the state constitution going forward.
Under current law, a ballot measure passes with a majority of votes statewide. The proposal on the ballot would alter that standard for future amendments.
If it passes, future ballot measures would need majority support in each congressional district to pass instead of needing a statewide majority. That means a simple statewide popular majority would no longer be sufficient on its own.
The proposal applies to future state constitutional amendments by statewide ballot measure. It does not change the rules for measures already on the current ballot.
For the cannabis industry, the measure matters because past legalization efforts in Missouri have gone through the constitutional amendment process.
What the Change Would Mean
A measure that wins the overall statewide vote could still fail if it loses in even one congressional district.
Supporters of future cannabis ballot campaigns would need to build support that is spread geographically rather than concentrated in high-population areas. Urban regions typically carry more weight in a statewide majority calculation.
The current status of the proposal is that it is before voters, with results reported as votes are counted. NBC News noted that the expected vote is the total number of votes expected in a given race once all votes are counted, and that this figure is an estimate based on several factors.
Those factors include information on the number of votes cast early and information provided to vote reporters on Election Day from county election officials. The figure can change as new information is gathered.
Vote data is sourced via the Associated Press, with projections by the NBC News Decision Desk.
How Results Are Being Reported
Some states and some individual counties provide results broken down by the type of ballot cast. That can include Election Day votes or ballots cast early, either in person or by mail.
Whenever that information is widely available in a state on election night, NBC News will display it. Missouri voters will learn whether the higher threshold takes effect once all votes are counted.
