Missourians on Tuesday appear to have overwhelmingly voted to reinstate campaign donation limits and to require photo identification for future elections but snuffed out two proposed cigarette tax increases. … The campaign donation proposal, if it withstands an expected court challenge, will cap donations at $2,600 per election for individual candidates for state and local offices and $25,000 for political parties. The measure, Constitutional Amendment 2, also makes it illegal in most cases to shuffle money between committees. “It just resonated with the people,” said Todd Jones of the Missouri Campaign Contribution Reform Initiative, speaking of the wide margin late in the evening. “They finally want to take back control of their government. They haven’t had that opportunity when people are writing million-dollar checks” to campaigns. Opponents contended that the current system ensures transparency and that the limits would unfairly restrict political expression.
… The photo-ID proposal, Constitutional Amendment 6, was pushed by the Republican-run Legislature and strongly opposed by Democrats.
“With voter ID, you’re going to have more reliability in the outcome of your elections because you know they were conducted in a proper manner,” said a key legislative backer, state Rep. Justin Alferman, R-Hermann.
Opponents warn that the measure would disenfranchise voters without a photo ID or the means to easily get one. They also say voter impersonation is rare. A court challenge is expected.
Full Article: Missouri cigarette taxes fail, voters support campaign contribution limits and voter ID requirements | Political Fix | stltoday.com.