Carnahan uses 60 words to describe a 48-word Amendment
Jefferson City, MO - In a victory for the over 80% of Missouri voters that believe in their right to vote by secret ballot, the Missouri Secretary of State announced Wednesday that the petition initiative to protect that sacred privilege met state standards for circulation. Although Secretary of State Robin Carnahan tried to do the union bosses’ bidding, the simplicity of constitutionally guaranteeing a right to a secret ballot for all elections remains intact.
The Secretary of State used 60 words to describe a 48-word amendment. Below is a comparison of the actual language to the Secretary's description:
Actual language-
“To preserve and protect the fundamental right of individuals to vote by secret ballot, where local, state, or federal law requires elections for public office or ballot measures, or requires designations or authorizations for employee representation, the right of individuals to vote by secret ballot shall be guaranteed.”
Secretary of State Description-
Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to:
· restate the existing statutory guarantee of a secret ballot in federal, state, and local elections; and
· change the current law relating to employees organizing for union or other representation by eliminating the ability of employees to use the existing sign up process to choose such representation and only allowing a secret ballot election
It is estimated this proposal will have no costs or savings to state or local governmental entities.
“Having done her duty -- though not fairly -- of assigning a ballot title, now is the time for the Secretary of State who is in charge of elections to state whether she favors or opposes secret ballots for all of Missouri's elections," said SOS Ballot Missouri Chairman John Loudon.
SOS Ballot Missouri calls on Ms. Carnahan, a declared candidate for the U.S. Senate and all other announced and potential candidates for the U.S. Senate to say definitively today where they stand on the SOS Ballot Amendment. It is important that the Missouri voters know what these potential Senators will do to strengthen or weaken a right to a secret ballot if elected.
The proposed Constitutional Amendment is supported by 82% of likely Missouri voters surveyed by Wilson Research Strategies. The survey also found that over 70% of voters would be more likely to support a candidate that supports their tight to a secret ballot.
SOS Ballot is a 501c4 organization dedicated to educating the American public on the continued need for a secret ballot wherever state or federal law requires elections and seeks to protect voters from intimidation and harassment by empowering them to vote whether they wish to have the right to a secret ballot guaranteed in their state constitution. In addition to Missouri, SOS Ballot campaigns are underway in Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina and South Dakota with additional state efforts pending. The Utah Legislature has already referred the measure to the 2010 general election ballot. For more information, please visit, www.sosballot.org/missouri.