JEFFERSON CITY — A 50-hour filibuster in the Missouri Senate ended Wednesday after a coalition of Republicans and Democrats voted for more negotiation on a ballot question that would make constitutional amendments more difficult to enact.
Democrats had been blocking a vote on the plan since Monday, demanding Republicans drop deceptive “ballot candy†that didn’t relate to the higher threshold Republicans are seeking.
On Wednesday, the sponsor, Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, R-Arnold, made a motion to send the bill to a conference committee with the House.
Coleman said the move would keep the issue alive, signaling Republicans didn’t have the votes to cut off the Democratic filibuster and force action to send the question to voters.
The action angered Senate members of the Missouri Freedom Caucus, who have demanded action on the measure.
People are also reading…
“If the hope is that this process is going to somehow lead us back to a place of engaging more legislation besides this, I will say this very clearly: Don’t get your hopes up,†said Sen. Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring.
“Shame on this party!†said Sen. Rick Brattin, R-Harrisonville.
Following progressive wins at the ballot box, Republicans want to make constitutional amendments, such as the proposed abortion-rights amendment that could land on the November ballot, more difficult to enact by requiring the support of a majority of voters in five of the state’s eight congressional districts. Voters would get the final say on the plan at the ballot box.
Republicans also wanted to include additional provisions in the plan, derided as “ballot candy,†including a ban on non-citizens voting on constitutional amendments and barring foreign interference in constitutional amendments.
Those additional provisions, Democrats have argued, are designed to trick Missourians into voting for the measure.
“It’s not candy. It’s deceptive language. We’re trying to get them to strip out the deceptive language, the trickery language,†said Sen. Karla May, D-ºüÀêÊÓƵ. “It’s in there to deceive voters.â€
U.S. citizenship is already listed as a voter registration qualification in Missouri, and federal law already bars election spending by foreign nationals.
Eigel on Wednesday morning said his “strong preference†is to keep the additional provisions and that Democrats’ “accusations†of voter deception are “completely unfair.â€
“I feel like here’s a great opportunity to put a protection into our constitution, prohibiting non-citizens from voting in our elections, and we should do it,†Eigel said.
With 18 votes, Republicans could have voted to shut down the Democratic filibuster, using a parliamentary maneuver called “moving the previous question,†or PQ, to force action.
Republicans control 24 of the upper chamber’s 34 seats and proponents of the constitutional amendment changes would need 18 votes to cut off debate and force action. But not everyone was in line as of Wednesday afternoon, before Coleman’s motion.
Sen. Mike Bernskoetter, a Jefferson City Republican who has clashed with members of the Freedom Caucus in the past, said he wouldn’t support a PQ.
“I value the Senate and the collegiality of the Senate. Most people are senatorial and they let people talk, and we’re not letting them talk if we shut down the debate,†he said.
Meanwhile, during the impasse, action in the House slowed knowing that the Senate may not take up bills the chamber sent over earlier in the session.
“You’re kind of twiddling your thumbs,†House Speaker Dean Plocher said Wednesday. “They need us. We need them.â€
“It’s more frustrating than you know for us, because we put our heart and soul†into the work, Plocher said.
Lawmakers face a 6 p.m. Friday deadline to complete regular business for the year.
The legislation is Sena
Kurt Erickson of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.