To the Editor:

Politicians continue to sabotage the will of the people.  We saw it with the Confined Animal Feeding Operation vote and here we go again with Amendment 3. 

On the ballot in November, Amendment 3 is an attempt by Jefferson City politicians to overturn the Clean Missouri Amendment, a citizen’s initiative voters approved by a 2-1 margin in 2018. 

Clean Missouri was designed to stop partisan gerrymandering, where politicians and lobbyists go in the back room and make deals to rig legislative maps to ensure their reelection and avoid accountability.  Clean Missouri set up a nonpartisan, independent system, using a professional demographer to draw legislative districts.

So, devious politicians drafted a new amendment to trick voters.  Amendment 3 sounds like it’s about campaign finance reform, but it’s really about reinstating gerrymandering--even worse than before. 

If approved, Amendment 3 would establish the worst gerrymandering rules in the nation. And, it would disenfranchise citizens by basing districts on voting adults only, instead of the total population. Further, it includes unprecedented restrictions on citizens’ abilities to challenge unfair maps in court.

Don’t be fooled by their ballot language that leads with banning gifts from lobbyists (a measly $5 reduction) and lowering campaign contribution limits (just $100 less for state senate candidates). The real purpose is to reinstate gerrymandering--a very unfair practice.

On November 3, VOTE “NO” ON AMENDMENT 3.

Keep our democracy alive.

Nancy Shepherd

Rocheport, MO