What ballot summary did the Missouri Attorney General approve for Mary Anne Sedey’s petition 2020-110?

Plain-English summary

The Secretary of State asked the Attorney General to review a proposed summary statement for Mary Anne Sedey’s Article VIII constitutional amendment petition, version 6 (2020-110). The statement asks voters whether to amend the Constitution to establish automatic voter registration from certain state agency lists, allow permanent signup to vote by mail during the six weeks before each election, and allow in-person voting the weekend before an election.

The Attorney General approved the statement’s legal content and form under § 116.334, RSMo. The letter says this approval should not be treated as an endorsement of the petition or a view on its proponents’ objectives. It does not describe features omitted from the proposed summary statement or compare this version with other petitions.

Currency note

This letter was issued in 2019. Read the petition itself and current election law before relying on the proposal’s details or present voting rules.

The exact ballot summary the AG approved

Do you want to amend the Missouri Constitution to:

• establish automatic voter registration of adults from state agency lists (including the departments of revenue, social services and conservation);
• allow voters to sign up to permanently vote by mail, with voting by mail allowed during the six weeks before each election; and
• allow in-person voting the weekend before an election?

Common questions

Q: Did the Attorney General approve the petition’s policies?
A: No endorsement follows from this letter. It approves only the legal content and form of the proposed summary statement and expressly disclaims a view on the proponents’ objectives.

Q: Does the summary say which agencies would supply registration lists?
A: It names the departments of revenue, social services, and conservation as examples; it does not give a complete agency list.

Q: Does the letter say whether version 6 contains teen pre-registration or other features?
A: No. The letter quotes the proposed summary statement and does not describe what the petition omits. Consult the petition text for its complete provisions.

Background and statutory framework

The Secretary of State submitted the proposed statement for review under § 116.334, RSMo. The Attorney General approved its legal content and form. The opinion does not determine whether voters adopted the proposal.

Citations and references

Statute cited: § 116.334, RSMo.

Source

• Original PDF: https://ago.mo.gov/wp-content/uploads/attachments/200-2019.pdf

Original opinion text

ATTORNEY GENERAL OF MISSOURI

ERIC SCHMITT

September 19, 2019

OPINION LETTER NO. 200-2019

The Honorable John R. Ashcroft
Missouri Secretary of State
James C. Kirkpatrick State Information Center
600 West Main Street
Jefferson City, MO 65101

Dear Secretary Ashcroft:

This opinion letter responds to your request dated September 9, 2019, for our review under § 116.334, RSMo, of a proposed summary statement prepared for the petition submitted by Mary Anne Sedey regarding a proposed constitutional amendment to amend Article VIII of the Missouri Constitution, version 6 (2020-110). The proposed summary statement is as follows:

> Do you want to amend the Missouri Constitution to:
>
> - establish automatic voter registration of adults from state agency lists (including the departments of revenue, social services and conservation);
> - allow voters to sign up to permanently vote by mail, with voting by mail allowed during the six weeks before each election; and
> - allow in-person voting the weekend before an election?

Pursuant to § 116.334, RSMo, we approve the legal content and form of the proposed statement. Because our review of the statement is mandated by statute, no action that we take with respect to such review should be construed as an endorsement of the petition, nor as the expression of any view regarding the objectives of its proponents.

Very truly yours,

ERIC S. SCHMITT
Attorney General

Supreme Court Building
207 W. High Street
P.O. Box 899
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Phone: (573) 751-3321
Fax: (573) 751-0774
www.ago.mo.gov

OP-2019-0230