Missouri Constitutional Amendment #3

Have you heard about the proposed Amendment 3 to the Missouri constitution? Neither had I, but it will appear on the November ballot.

The teacher’s unions are all up in arms. Why? Because the amendment changes the rules for teacher tenure and provides for teacher performance evaluations.

A Missouri Teacher Performance Evaluation, Amendment 3 is on the November 4, 2014 election ballot in the state of Missouri as an initiated constitutional amendment. If approved by voters, this measure would implement teacher performance evaluations that would be used to determine whether a teacher should be dismissed, retained, demoted or promoted. It would also prevent teachers from collectively bargaining over the terms of these evaluations. — Ballotpedia.

This amendment didn’t come through the state legislature, it came through citizen’s initiative, a much more difficult process. But, it was successful and will appear on the November ballot…unless, like the failed attempts by gun-grabbers to block Amendment 5 in June, the unions fabricate a scheme to block Amendment 3, like their failed attempt to block Amendment 5 that passed this last Tuesday. I’m still researching the basis for Amendment 3 but on first look, I’ll support it.

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An idea whose time has come—closed Missouri primaries.

In Missouri, it is always an issue in primaries. The dems tightly control their candidates. In Cass County this year there were NO contested offices on the democrat ticket. That control allowed dems to crossover to tilt the ‘Pub primary choices their way. Whether crossovers had that much impact is a question that, given Missouri’s open primary, we’ll never really know. We do know, from bragging dems, that it has affected  the outcome of elections in the past, the run for Northern Commissioner in the last primary for example.

Some ‘Pubs are calling for closed primaries nation-wide. I agree.

Angry Republican leaders ready to shut door on open primaries

Changes sought after Mississippi Democrats help Thad Cochran beat Chris McDaniel

CHICAGO — Any party that allows its opponents to help pick its candidates in “open” primaries is a PPINO — a “political party in name only” — say many Republican officials at their annual summer meeting.

Republican National Committee members and activists are still seething about reports that longtime Sen. Thad Cochran, Mississippi Republican, enlisted Democrats to help him win his tough primary contest this summer against state Sen. Chris McDaniel, who was backed by the tea party.

They would seem to have an ally in the GOP boss, but the sentiments of the entire party and the prospects for changing state laws are unclear.

At least one committee member plans to press the issue at the RNC meeting, which opened Wednesday.

Currently, 27 states let independents and Democrats help pick Republican candidates for general elections. The reason usually is not the desire of the state GOP but rather that the state legislature has mandated open primaries or requires no party registration.

The article continues here.

The usual excuse for not implementing closed primaries by state legislatures is the cost. Yes, it will cost money. A database will have to be created for voters to declare their party allegiance, processes and procedures to update and maintain the database just be developed and implemented statewide, a network and terminals at each county clerk’s office and, at election time, terminals at every polling station, during primary elections, to insure voters receive the correct ballot for their party.

The legislation creating the closed primary won’t be easy. The legislation must provide time-frames and methodologies for declaring and changing parties and how long, before the primary, will party change-overs be frozen (I’d suggest ninety days.) Voter registration procedures would have to be updated as well.

Regardless of the expense, it is a change whose time has come.

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