Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander yesterday announced a statewide recount of proposed Missouri Constitutional Amendment 1, the so-called Right-to-Farm bill. The measure appeared on Missouri's August 5 primary election ballot, and was defeated by a margin of 2,490 votes.
The recount was requested by Wes Shoemyer, on behalf of Missouri's Food for America, an organization that was formed specifically to defeat Amendment 1. Shoemyer spoke against the measure, prior to the primary ballot defeat, at a town hall meeting held in Malden, Mo., on July 24. The case for the measure will be represented by Dan Kleinsorge, on behalf of Missouri Farmers Care.
The measure was favored in most rural counties, but opposition in the St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield and Columbia areas was nearly enough to offset it. Right-to-Farm opponents had said earlier this month that they were weighing the possibility of a recount
According to state law, recounts are not automatically triggered, but must be requested by a registered voter whose position on the ballot question was defeated. Statewide races are only eligible for a recount, when results are separated by less than one half of one percent (0.5) of the total votes cast. Of the 996,672 votes cast on Constitutional Amendment 1 on Aug. 5, there were 499,581 "yes" votes, and 497,091 "no" votes...a difference of 0.24 percent.
Per state statute, the recount will be supervised and certified by the Secretary of State's office, no later than September 15. Local election authorities will determine the date and time for recounts to take place in their respective counties, and a bipartisan team of election judges will conduct the process. Media may be present to observe the proceedings.
Kander's office has created a webpage, www.sos.mo.gov/elections/Amendment1, to make the recount process more transparent and accessible to Missourians. The page will be updated daily, at 3 p.m., to show the recount schedule established by local election authorities, each local election authority's report of findings, and a summary of recount results. The office will also train a team of staff members that can be dispatched throughout the state, if assistance is requested.
"My goal is to set the standard for an open, transparent and fair recount process," Kander said. "Recounts are in place to both ensure the integrity of elections and to give Missourians confidence in the results, which is why I put an emphasis on new transparency measures."