ONE PERSON SHOULD HAVE ONE VOTE, JUST LIKE ONE POINT EQUALS ONE POINT
In this year’s AFC Championship game, our Kansas City Chiefs triumphed against the Baltimore Ravens with a 17- 10 win. With that win, they went back to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in five years and solidified themselves as a true NFL dynasty.
But under the logic that Republicans in Jefferson City are using to sabotage Missouri’s initiative petition process, the Chiefs wouldn’t have won last week’s game because they didn’t win in the right way.
Resolutions offered by House and Senate Republicans would require constitutional amendments put on the ballot through Missouri’s initiative petition process to meet “concurrent majorities” to be added to our state constitution. Not only would these amendments need to receive a majority of votes to pass, they would also need to be approved by a majority of voters in a majority of congressional districts, state Senate districts or state House districts.
Using the last example, an initiative could win state-wide with a strong majority of the vote, but it would not go into law unless it earned a majority of votes in 82 out of Missouri’s 163 state House districts. This electoral scheme could have turned big wins earned and approved by the people of Missouri like rejecting right-to-work, raising the minimum wage, and expanding Medicaid, into losses.The side that loses at the ballot box could actually win.
If we look at the box score from the AFC Championship game, the Chiefs and the Ravens each scored seven points in the first quarter. Then, the Chiefs scored 10 points in the second quarter, both teams went scoreless in the third quarter, and the Ravens scored a field goal in the fourth. If we rescore the game by which team won each quarter, then the Chiefs only technically “won” one quarter. They tied with the Ravens in the other two and actually lost one.
So under this “concurrent majority” logic, the Chiefs wouldn’t have won in enough quarters to win the game.
In what world is that fair? A point is a point, a vote is a vote. You want to win? Get more than your opponent. But don’t try to rig the rules to make it so winners lose and losers win.That’s exactly what the Republicans who control the legislature have in mind.
Politicians in other states have recently asked their voters whether or not they want to make it more difficult for them to amend their state constitutions. Every single one has been rejected. Voters see through this attempt to sabotage the initiative petition process because they understand the necessity of majority rule in our political process, and want to keep the opportunity to pass popular policies when their elected officials fail to act. Missourians need a way to make our voices heard when politicians plug their ears and refuse to listen.
Any changes to the initiative petition process will require a vote of the people. Ironically, they would not have to meet the requirements that they are seeking to enact. If these resolutions make it to the ballot, I know that Missourians will reject them. But we need to defeat these measures at the polls by as wide of a margin as possible to make sure they lose the will to even reintroduce these proposals in the future. Let them know that these attempts to make it more difficult to participate in our democracy will not be tolerated.
Representative Eric Woods, a Democrat, represents southwest Clay County (District 18) in the Missouri House of Representatives. The district includes parts of Kansas City, the City of North Kansas City, Avondale, and the village of Oaks He was elected to his first two-year term in November 2022.
Woods attended the University of Missouri where he graduated magna cum laude with degrees in political science, history, and religious studies. While at Mizzou he served as Student Body President.
He is a lifelong Northlander who has volunteered for and served on boards of a number of non-profit and civic boards and committees, including the University of Missouri Extension Council in Clay County, the City of Gladstone's Environmental Management Advisory Committee, and the Kansas City Public Theatre.
In addition to his service as a legislator, Woods is employed as a regulatory and compliance manager focusing on data privacy and security. He also is a registered Missouri Notary Public and an ordained (Internet) minister and has performed many wedding ceremonies for families and friends.
