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St. Louis County Smoking Ban Measure, 2009
A St. Louis County Smoking Ban Measure was on the November 3, 2009 ballot in St. Louis County for voters. The measure proposed a ban on smoking in most indoor public places. The measure excluded casino floors, smoking lounges at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport and drinking establishments where alcohol sales account for 75% or more of sales.[1]
Election result
SIMPLE MAJORITY REQUIRED
| St. Louis County Proposition N | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Yes
|
86,561 | 65.5% | ||
| No | 45,543 | 34.4% | ||
| Total votes | 132,194 | 100.00% | ||
| Voter turnout | 18% | |||
Ballot summary
Shall the Revised Ordinances of St. Louis County be amended by enacting and adding thereto a prohibition of smoking in enclosed public places in St. Louis County, all as set forth in Exhibit A of Ordinance No. 24,105 on file with the St. Louis County Administrative Director and the St. Louis County Board of Election Commissioners?[2]
Background
The county council, by a 4 to 3 vote, approved the measure for the ballot on August 25, 2009 and on August 28 St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley signed legislation to officially move the measure to the ballot. The measure was first introduced by County Council Member Barbara Fraser.[3] The measure was scheduled to take effect in 2011.[4]
A similar measure was also placed on the November ballot in the City of Kirkwood. However, when it comes to public safety issues St. Louis county is entitled to enact laws that override local laws. Therefore despite the November results for the Kirkwood Smoking Ban Measure the county result for the Smoking Ban Measure may take precedence.[5]
Restaurant and bar owners said they were worried that if the ban is approved that it will drive business to other counties and they also said that this infringes on their property rights. Proponents noted that several other counties and states that have initiated indoor smoking bans revealed that their businesses still thrive. Younger patrons are considered the main target for growing businesses and a smoking ban would better entice them to visit restaurants since they are not the main group that smokes. Health issues are also a strong driving point for those in favor of this measure.[6]
See also
Kirkwood Smoking Ban Measure, 2009
Footnotes
- ↑ South County Times, "County Council Sends Partial Smoking Ban To Nov. 2 Ballot," accessed August 31, 2009
- ↑ "St. Louis County" 2009 Propositions and Candidates
- ↑ Fox2News, "St. Louis County Smoking Ban Issue Going to the Voters," August 28, 2009
- ↑ Associated Press, "St. Louis County smoking ban moves closer to ballot measure," August 26, 2009 (dead link)
- ↑ Webster-Kirkwood Times, "Multiple Smoking Measures Raise Clouds Of Confusion," July 31, 2009
- ↑ Student Life, "Smoking ban to go before county voters," October 30, 2009
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