Missouri Top-Four Initiative Submits 300,000 Signatures

On May 8, backers of a top-four system for Missouri submitted approximately 300,000 signatures on their initiative. The initiative needs approximately 170,000 signatures. If the voters enact it, it will be exceedingly difficult for qualified minor parties to remain ballot-qualified. Current law says they stay on the ballot if they poll 2% for any statewide race at either of the last two elections. But under the initiative, parties no longer have nominees (except for President), so a party can only remain on the ballot if it can get 2% for President, which is difficult and rarely happens.


Comments

Missouri Top-Four Initiative Submits 300,000 Signatures — 14 Comments

  1. I hope they do not have enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot.

  2. NOOOO extremist primaries.

    EQUAL ballot access – Nov genl elections – nom pets / filing fees

    PR
    APPV
    TOTYSOP

  3. This is good. It will win. Parties that can’t get 2% for president are jokes and spoilers and don’t belong on the ballot.

  4. The Liberty Party, the nation’s first organization that advocated an end to slavery throughout the entire nation, only got one-half of 1% of the vote in its first presidential election, the 1840 election.

  5. End of slavery due to about 400,000 DEAD in Union Army/Navy in 1861-1866

    — with multi-000s injured for life – no eyes, hands, etc.

  6. It wasn’t due to that either. Lots of other countries ended slavery without a war in the 19th century. It was due to progress in both industry and social mores in Christian, European-based nations.

  7. The point about the Liberty Party is that the party caused people to think about the issue. Before the Liberty Party was formed, no one thought or talked about ending slavery throughout the nation. There was only discussion about whether to limit it in new states.

    The Liberty Party is just one example. There are many more examples of small parties that introduced new ideas into public discussion. This is basic history. The first parties to advocate for women’s suffrage, direct election of U.S. Senators, anti-trust laws, social security, protection for labor unions, ending child labor, were all minor parties, some of which were very weak when they first started. The Labor Reform Party of 1872 only got .4%. The first Socialist ticket in a presidential election, in 1888, only got .02% of the presidential vote. The Greenback Party got less than 1% of the presidential vote in its first election, 1876.

  8. The abolitionist movement was around before the Liberty Party. It grew through many different organizations other than just political parties.

    “The first parties to advocate for women’s suffrage, direct election of U.S. Senators, anti-trust laws, social security, protection for labor unions, ending child labor, were all minor parties, some of which were very weak when they first started. ”

    All of those issues, aside from being bad ideas, were also pushed by a lot more than just political parties. It’s wrong to put all of the blame for introducing these bad ideas on third parties. They were a small part of the picture in each case.

  9. End of slavery also due to GOP victory in 1864 gerrymander elections – Fed / States / Locals.

    N. free Dems had enough of S. slave Dems

    >>> 13 Amdt passed USA H Reps in Jan 1865 >>> ratified Dec 1865.

  10. It would have ended without the bloody and unnecessary war and without any political parties.

  11. slavery ended how in regimes in last 6,000 plus years ???

    *peaceful* change in laws by rulers ???

    Force — internal — aka slave revolts ???

    Force — external — liberation invasion ???

    Force — combo of int/ext ???

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