Libertarians to Legislators: Hands Off Democracy

CLAYTON, Jan. 15 -- Local Libertarians reacted Wednesday to several pending bills in the Missouri legislature which would make it more difficult for citizens to put legislation directly on state ballots via the initiative and referendum process.

The Libertarian Party's St. Louis County committee issued a resolution opposing passage of HJR3, which would increase the number of signatures required to place an issue on the ballot; and HB228/SB115, which would impose several new restrictions on the use of paid petition circulators.

"The politicians in Jefferson City have always been jealous of the power that our state constitution reserves to the people," says St. Louis County Libertarian chair Thomas L. Knapp. "It annoys them to no end when voters go over the government's head to decide matters directly -- especially in ways which may limit the politicians' powers of taxation and taking."

The introduction of the three new bills, says Knapp, constitutes a full frontal assault on democracy in Missouri. "In the past, our more arrogant politicians have contented themselves with ignoring inconvenient laws, knowing how expensive it is to litigate their enforcement. Occasionally they've used litigation -- or had the state auditor blow the required 'impact statement' -- to keep popular proposals off the ballot entirely, as they did with eminent domain limits in 2006. Now they're going directly for the throat of the initiative and referendum power."

The Libertarian Party is Missouri's third largest political party, nominating candidates for public office in the state since 1992.

Text of resolution passed by the St. Louis County Libertarian Central Committee

Whereas, Article I, Section 1 of the Missouri Constitution states that "all political power is vested in and derived from the people; that all government of right originates from the people, is founded upon their will only, and is instituted solely for the good of the whole;" and

Whereas, Article III, Section 49 of the Missouri Constitution reserves to the people a power to enact or reject laws and constitutional amendments through the process of initiative and referendum; and

Whereas, certain bills have been introduced in Missouri's legislature to make the exercise of this power more difficult through onerous regulations, registration requirements and increases in the number of signatures required to place issues on the ballot;

Be it resolved, that the St. Louis County Libertarian Central Committee calls upon Missouri's legislators to oppose House Joint Resolution 3, House Bill 228 and Senate Bill 115, and to henceforth cease and desist from, or if proposed by others oppose, any and all attempts to abrogate or make less efficacious the power of the people to alter state law through the process of initiative and referendum.