Daily Brew: Missouri voters say no to Right to Work

August 8, 2018

Election results: Get all of last night’s big news here, PLUS: Ballot measure roundup from the past week   Welcome to the Wednesday, August 8 Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Right to Work gets rejected in Missouri Election results: Get all of last night’s big news here Ballot measure roundup from the past week Missouri rejects Proposition A, becoming the first state to repeal a right-to-work law through a ballot measure Voters in Missouri rejected Proposition A, thus repealing the right-to-work law that the Missouri State Legislature passed and former Gov. Eric Greitens (R) signed in 2017. Proposition A would have mandated that no person can be required to pay dues to a labor union or join a labor union as a condition of employment. With the defeat of Proposition A, Missouri became the first state to repeal a right-to-work law through a ballot measure. Proposition A also marked the second time that Missourians had rejected right-to-work. In 1978, 60.02 percent of electors voted against Amendment 23, a right-to-work constitutional amendment. We Are Missouri, the PAC that got right-to-work placed on the ballot as a veto referendum, raised $17.99 million from labor unions and allies. Pro-RTW PACs received $5.15 million—about 28.63 percent of what We Are Missouri raised. Following Proposition A’s defeat, AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka declared that “2018 is the year of the worker.” He added, “Missouri is the latest sign of a true groundswell. And working people are just getting started.” Jake Rosenfeld, a sociologist at Washington University in St. Louis, said, “What it does is return us to the status quo, which hasn't been particularly friendly to organized labor in Missouri or elsewhere. Private sector union membership has been declining from the 1950s onward, and this would do nothing to increase them.” The Missouri State Legislature could pass right-to-work again during the 2019 legislative session. While at least one state legislator, Rep. Bill White (R-161), said he would consider sponsoring and supporting a right-to-work bill in 2019, Gov. Mike Parson (R) and legislative leaders have not commented on the prospects of new legislation. Here's the full background on the proposition         Here’s what happened in yesterday’s elections In addition to checking out last night’s results below, click here to instantly subscribe to our Heart of the Primaries newsletter and receive today’s special edition giving a full recap of what happened. Here are the highlights. Ohio’s 12th District special election: With 100 percent of precincts reporting, state Sen. Troy Balderson (R) leads Franklin County Recorder Danny O'Connor (D) by less than one percentage point, 101,574 to 99,820 votes. The secretary of state reported 5,048 absentee ballots and 3,435 provisional ballots were outstanding. Ohio law requires automatic recounts for congressional elections in which the margin of victory is less than 0.5 percent of votes cast. Kansas’ gubernatorial Republican primary: Too close to call Incumbent Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer and Secretary of State Kris Kobach lead in Kansas' Republican gubernatorial primary, but the race remains too close to call. With 93 percent of precincts reporting, Kobach had received 40.7 percent of the vote to Colyer's 40.5 percent. The two are separated by 533 votes. Quick hits: Kansas’ gubernatorial Democratic primary: Laura Kelly, state senator, wins   Michigan’s gubernatorial Democratic primary: Gretchen Whitmer, former state Senate minority leader, wins   Michigan’s gubernatorial Republican primary: Bill Schuette, Michigan’s attorney general, wins   For a full list of last night's results, click here→ Ballot measures, ballot measures everywhere! While Missouri’s Right-to-Work initiative and yesterday’s primaries have received so much attention in the past week, much has happened in the world of ballot measures. Here’s a quick primer. Between August 1 and August 6, 2018, nine ballot measures were certified for the November 6, 2018, ballot in Arizona, Arkansas, Missouri, and Washington. As of August 6, 150 ballot measures had been certified for the 2018 ballot in 36 states. August 1: Arizona Proposition 126 would prohibit the state and local governments from enacting new taxes or increasing tax rates on services performed in the state. August 2: Missouri Amendment 1 would make changes to the state’s lobbying laws, campaign finance limits for state legislative candidates, and legislative redistricting process. August 2: Missouri Proposition B would increase the state's minimum wage each year until reaching $12 in 2023 and then making adjustments based on changes in the Consumer Price Index. August 2:  Washington Initiative 1634 would prohibit local governments from enacting taxes on groceries, including soda. August 2:  Washington Initiative 1631 would enact a carbon emissions fee and spend the revenue on environmental, pollution, and energy programs. August 3: Arkansas Issue 3 would impose term limits of six years for state representatives and eight years for state senators. Missouri Amendment 2, Missouri Amendment 3, Missouri Proposition C: Voters in Missouri will also decide three different medical marijuana ballot initiatives. See here for more information on these three measures. Between August 1 and August 6, one ballot measure—Florida Amendment 13—was removed from the ballot, pending appeal to the Florida Supreme Court. Amendment 13 would ban gambling on dog races in Florida. Judge Karen Gievers of the 2nd Circuit Court removed Amendment 13 from the ballot because the ballot language reads “ends dog racing,” which, according to the judge, is not true. Amendment 13 would end gambling on dog races, not dog races in which no gambling occurs, said Judge Gievers. More on 2018 ballot measures→