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Jefferson City, Missouri - Secretary of State Robin Carnahan announced today that a new initiative petition met state standards for circulation. The petition would amend the Missouri Constitution relating to the nonpartisan selection of judges.
The ballot title for the petition relating to the nonpartisan selection of judges reads:
Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to repeal certain provisions relating to the nonpartisan selection of judges by:
* removing all current members of the nonpartisan judicial selection commissions and giving sole authority to the Governor to appoint new members subject to Senate consent;
* increasing the number of judicial nominees submitted by the commissions from three to five and allowing the Governor to veto the first list of nominees;
* transferring from the Missouri Supreme Court to the Governor’s appointed commissions the authority to establish rules governing commission actions; and
* making certain information regarding judicial nominees and the selection process publicly available?
It is estimated this proposal will have no costs or savings to state or local governmental entities.
The petition relating to the nonpartisan selection of judges was submitted by Jonathan Bunch, Executive Director of Better Courts for Missouri, PO Box 1524, Jefferson City, MO 65102, 573-635-0782.
Before any constitutional changes can be brought before Missouri voters in the November 2008 election, signatures must be obtained from registered voters equal to eight (8) percent of the total votes cast in the 2004 governor’s election from six of the state’s nine congressional districts. Depending on the combination of districts, the number of signatures required ranges between approximately 140,000 and 150,000 valid signatures for each petition.
Signatures on behalf of all initiative petitions for the 2008 ballot are due to the Secretary of State’s office by no later than 5 p.m. on May 4, 2008.
The full text of all the proposed ballot measures will be available on the Secretary of State’s website at http://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/2008petitions/08init_pet.asp.
Before circulating petitions, state law requires that groups must first have the form of their petition approved by the Secretary of State and Attorney General. The Secretary of State then prepares a summary statement of no more than 100 words and the State Auditor prepares a fiscal impact statement, both of which are subject to the approval of the Attorney General. When both statements are approved, they become the official ballot title.