The ballot summary, as determined by the Missouri legislature, is:
“Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to:
- Make the constitution consistent with state law by only allowing citizens of the United States to vote;
- Prohibit the ranking of candidates by limiting voters to a single vote per candidate or issue; and
- Require the plurality winner of a political primary to be the single candidate at a general election?”
Legislators start the wording with a provision that non-citizens can’t vote. That’s already the law.
This idea has been called “ballot candy” because it’s expected to sweeten the deal — to draw yes votes without voters paying attention to the rest of the bill.
Here’s reasoning reported in the Missouri Independent, May 17, 2024:
Sen. Rick Brattin of Harrisonville, speaking for the Freedom Caucus at a news conference, defended the ballot candy provisions as giving voters a simpler question, easier to understand than . . . as a standalone:
“You would have to have a lot of intensive funding to be able to get a message out, because (the initiative petition process) is a very convoluted, difficult thing to explain to voters,” Brattin said. “And we wanted to make sure we’re putting stuff in front of people that’s easy, that doesn’t require $60 million to try to get the message out.”
In other words, distracting the voters from what they’re actually voting on is the point.
A reporter immediately responded, “Doesn’t that define ballot candy?”
The remark the newspaper quotes is here:
There was a lawsuit filed, arguing that the wording was deceptive, but it was unsuccessful.
Media reports and opinion pieces that have commented on the issue of deceptive language:
MO measure bans non-citizen voting. Critics say it’s ‘deceptive’ by Kacen Bayless and Jonathan Shorman, The Kansas City Star, May 22, 2024
Missouri politicians put a trick measure on the November ballot to silence your voice by Benjamin D. Singer, The Kansas City Star, June 23, 2024
Don’t fall for ‘ballot candy’ — November ballot measure is attack on local control by Benjamin D. Singer, The Springfield News-Leader, August 11, 2024