JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri House has given initial approval of a proposed constitutional amendment that, upon voter approval, would alter reapportionment standards.
“[This] resolution is about promoting best practices and transparency regarding apportionment and compensation of apportionment officials,” according to sponsor Rep. Dean Plocher.
Within the resolution, only U.S. citizens would be counted as part of the population used in reapportionment — redistricting. It also lays out that reapportionment officials can only accept compensation appropriated by the General Assembly.
“Each person’s vote should have the same weight,” said Plocher. “…we have all heard of the premise of one person, one vote. Therefore, for reapportionment purposes, HJR 100 simply says, you must be a United States Citizen.”
Supporters argued that counting those who are not U.S. citizens when drawing districts — which should be as equal in size as possible — puts more weight behind some people’s vote as compared to others.
This provision will protect the one person, one vote principle, according to Plocher.
The resolution encountered pushback from Democrats who called this an attempt to disenfranchise people saying this affects legal non-citizens, too.
“People that are not citizens, are not entitled to representation?” Rep. Ingrid Burnett asked. “They are taxpayers, they are business owners, they are residents, they are participants.”
“I want to be very clear to the body we are not talking about undocumented or those who are hearing illegally,” said Rep. Jon Carpenter. “We are talking about legal permanent residents.”
Carpenter argued they could get into a situation where one district would have 50,000 people and another with 37,000 because one district has a large portion of legal immigrants. That was mean the districts weren’t the same size in reality, and legal immigrants wouldn’t be represented, opponents argued.
“They are represented, they just are not entitled to the proportional representation that US citizens are,” said Plocher.
Democrats also took issues with a portion of the bill added in the committee substitute that states “the commissions for the reapportionment of the house of representatives and senate shall each meet and prepare plans of reapportionment in the manner and using the legal criteria set forth in the text of this article that was in effect on January 1, 2018.”
This would directly conflict with an initiative petition that may end up on the ballot, Carpenter argued.
“If under the initiative petition process, the apportionment process is changed this fall, it wouldn’t have been in effect on January 1, 2018,” said Carpenter. “So, doesn’t this language force the apportionment process that was in place January 1, 2018, and therefore negate what voters will be voting on, in terms of apportionment process this fall?”
Plocher doesn’t see that as overriding what voters would decide on this fall and that that is a whole separate issue.
The wording of the second provision was also a point of contention, with opponents saying the state already does the funding. Plocher argued that there is nothing prohibiting outside entities from supplementing those incomes.
“So, why doesn’t your language just say ‘Hey, reapportionment is paid for by the General Assembly and…not sponsored by Apple’?” asked Mitten.
“We are going to let the voters decide how we allocate the resources for this whole process,” said Plocher.
The resolution, which was perfected with an 89-37 vote, need another vote in the House before heading to the Senate. Should both parties pass it before the end of session next week, the issue would go before voters in November.
In response to the perfection of the resolution Clean Missouri, the force behind the initiative petition to overhaul Missouri ethics guidelines, put out the following statement:
“People will see HJR100 as the sham it is: an attempt to confuse voters and undermine the mandate from 346,956 Missourians who are ready to increase ethics, accountability and transparency in Jefferson City.
“We’ve earned the support of leaders from across the political spectrum because Clean Missouri puts voters first — allowing them to hold their leaders accountable, and taking power back from the big money and insiders who control the agenda now.
“The legislature has had its chance to clean up its act, but has failed, year after year. Voters aren’t waiting any longer, and will be voting to get things back on track this November.”
Alisha Shurr was a reporter for The Missouri Times and The Missouri Times Magazine. She joined The Missouri Times in January 2018 after working as a copy editor for her hometown newspaper in Southern Oregon. Alisha is a graduate of Kansas State University.
