How to Read Your November 3 Ballot: Yes and No Don't Always Mean the Same Thing
Five statewide questions are on Missouri's November 3 ballot, and Yes and No don't mean the same thing on every one. Here's how to read the ballot, and a preview of the series.
Missouri voters will answer five statewide questions on November 3rd in the general election. The wording is written for lawyers, but you don't have to be one. Over the next three weeks I'm going to walk through each question in plain words: what a Yes does, what a No leaves in place, and where I stand and why. The official ballot titles all come from the Missouri Secretary of State.
What's Coming in This Series
- Thu., Oct. 15: Amendment 3, on life, parents and children
- Sun., Oct. 18: Amendment 6, on the petition process
- Wed., Oct. 21: Amendment 7, a savings fund to retire state taxes
- Sat., Oct. 24: Amendment 8, on the elected county sheriff
- Tue., Oct. 27: Proposition A, on the new congressional map
- Fri., Oct. 30: Take This Home, a one-line guide to all five
First Things First: Yes and No Don't Always Mean the Same Thing
Before we get to any one question, it helps to know how each one got on the ballot, because that tells you what your vote actually does.
Amendments 3, 7 and 8 were sent to us by the General Assembly. In Missouri, the legislature can refer a constitutional amendment to voters with a simple majority in each chamber, and no amendment takes effect until the people approve it. A Yes writes the change into the state Constitution. A No leaves the Constitution as it is.
Amendment 6 got on the ballot by citizen petition. Missourians have the right to propose laws and constitutional amendments by gathering signatures, and this one gathered enough to make the ballot. A Yes adds new rules to the Missouri Constitution that make petition laws very hard to change. A No keeps the petition process the way it currently is.
Proposition A is different. It's a referendum, a vote on a law the legislature already passed. A Yes approves the new congressional map. A No rejects it and keeps the 2022 lines. On this one, No is the change since it overrides what the General Assembly has passed.
That last point matters. A lot of good folks vote No when they're unsure, figuring No means "leave things alone." On Proposition A, No throws out the new map. So slow down on that one.
A Few Tips for Reading the Ballot
- Read the whole question. Each amendment lists several things it does, and you're voting on all of them together.
- Look for the cost line. Each title ends with a short note on cost. For most of this year's questions it says state and local governments "estimate no costs or savings."
- Check your sample ballot. City and county questions can sit under these five, and they deserve the same careful reading.
Self-government only works when we take part, and taking part starts with knowing what you're voting on. That's not a political philosophy, it's just common sense.
Next in the series (Thu., Oct. 15): Amendment 3, and what it means for life, parents and children.