Budget, teacher measures being decided by Missouri voters

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Missouri voters were deciding Tuesday on four proposed constitutional changes that could affect public schools, state finances, child sex-abuse prosecutions and the way people vote in future elections.

Though not heavily contested, the ballot measures are the most prominent Election Day decisions and come after five other proposed amendments were decided by voters in August. The only statewide office on Tuesday's ballot is Republican Auditor Tom Schweich's seat, but he faces no Democratic opposition, and none of the state's eight U.S. House members are facing a high-profile challenge.

The measures being decided Tuesday ask voters to limit the governor's budget-cutting powers, allow for six days of early voting, enable allegations of past criminal acts to be used against people facing child sex-abuse charges, and limit teacher-tenure protections while tying evaluations for school personnel to student performance data.

The Republican-dominated Legislature pushed through the budget-related proposal, Amendment 10, after Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon used his budget-cutting powers in recent years to try to persuade lawmakers not to enact tax breaks that he feared could harm state revenues. Proposed constitutional amendments need a majority vote of the Legislature but don't need the governor's signature.

Amendment 10 would allow lawmakers to override a governor's decision to freeze or slow spending on items in the state budget - just as they currently can for line-item vetoes. The initiative also would bar governors from assuming new revenues from policy proposals when making budget recommendations to the Legislature.

On Tuesday, voter Diane McCain said she thought the amendment would give lawmakers too much power.

"We vote in a governor to make good decisions," the 67-year-old chaplain said after voting in Columbia. "If we don't like the decisions we should vote in somebody else. We don't need to change the constitution so the Legislature usurps that power from the governor to make those decisions."

However, Dale Harris, a 45-year-old underwriter from Columbia, supported the amendment.

"It's like you or me," Harris said. "Can we make a budget on what we anticipate we have in our bank account or actually what we have in our bank account? I don't see why the government should be any different."

Democrats also are fighting Amendment 6, a Republican initiative to create six days of no-excuse-needed early voting before general elections. Missouri currently has no early voting, other than allowing absentee voting in limited circumstances when people attest they won't be able to vote in person on Election Day.

Democrats argue the proposal is too restrictive, in part because it doesn't allow for weekend voting. It also includes a caveat that early voting can occur only if funding is approved from the governor and Legislature. Republican backers say the measure could increase access to voting while ensuring residents don't miss important campaign developments by voting too early.

Leonard Lewis, 62, of Chesterfield, said he typically votes Democratic but strongly supports the amendment.

"That's something that should never be inhibited," said Lewis, who works at the General Motors plant in Wentzville. "There are too many restrictions on people voting. It's too important to stifle."

Dale Harris, 45, an underwriter from Columbia, said he was opposed.

"There's enough in place right now where if you have to vote early and need to vote early, you can," he said. "I don't see why you need to spend money on something you can already do."

Amendment 2 is supported by some prosecutors and law enforcement officials who want to be able to use allegations of past criminal acts against suspects facing sex-related charges involving victims under 18 years old. It would be an exception to the general prohibition against using evidence of past crimes against defendants facing new criminal charges.

Deborah Neff, a 57-year-old attorney from Columbia, voted against the amendment because she believed it shouldn't be a constitutional question.

"It should be in statute," she said. "I don't think we need to have things like that in our constitution. It weighs our constitution down."

The teacher-tenure proposal, Amendment 3, was pushed by a group financed by investment firm founder Rex Sinquefield, the state's most prominent political donor. The group, Teach Great, dropped its campaign after polls showed poor public support - but that hasn't stopped education groups from fighting the proposal. They said it could push educators to "teach to the test," and they raised concerns about the cost and feasibility of creating standardized tests for subjects such as physical education and the arts.

Dave Fenton, 68, of Tipton, a self-employed woodworker and former probation and parole officer, sided with the teachers.

"Everything I've heard is that teachers are opposed to it, and I think they know what is best for their profession," he said.

Shawn Harrison, 56, of Chesterfield, a safety director for a contracting company, voted for the amendment.

"Performance is important," Harrison said. "We all have to compete for our jobs. I think it's fair. The competent teachers did not seem to be concerned about it."

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