The Sedalia Weekly ObserverA recount was conducted Tuesday at the Pettis County Courthouse involving the results of the co-called “Right to Farm” Amendment to the Missouri Constitution.
On Aug. 5, Amendment 1 passed by 2,490 votes, or about a quarter of a percentage point.
Losers of a Missouri ballot initiative are permitted to request a recount if the margin is a half percentage point or less. A coalition of Amendment 1 opponents — including Missouri’s Food for America, the Missouri Farmers Union, and the Missouri Rural Crisis Center — formally called for a recount. A total of 497,091 people voted no on the proposal.
There there is concern from the opposition that it insulates CAFOs and other gigantic corporate farming outfits from regulation by local, state and federal governments. Its passage is a win for industrial agriculture heavyweights like Monsanto and Cargill doing business in Missouri, not ordinary Missouri farmers, opponents say.
A Kansas City attorney representing the Missouri Rural Crisis Center was present to quietly observe the proceedings.
A resolution team was gathered for Pettis County’s recount of the 7,666 ballots cast in 20 precincts on Aug. 5.
Pettis Countians passed the amendment, 4,970 yes votes to 2,536 no votes, or 66.13 percent to 33.87 percent.
The team was under the supervision of Pettis County Clerk Nick La Strada. He estimated that the recount would take about five hours to complete.
La Strada said that most Missouri counties were conducting their recount today, also. According to the Secretary of State’s website, 36 counties have already done their recount. In some counties, yes votes actually went up by a small handful, between one and seven votes in some jurisdictions.
In St. Louis County, yes votes went up by 41 and no votes went up by 44. The proposal failed in that county, 25,223 to 9,123.
It is interesting to note that this will be the fourth statewide recount in the last 20 years. None of the recounts have overturned the original result.
http://sedalianewsjournal.com/2014/09/09/recount-under-way-on-amendment-1/
Horrendous that this is even open for discussion or up for a “vote”. This in itself is reason enough for revolt. Where are we?!
agreed 100%
Every dirt-poor peasant throughout history had a right to put seeds in the ground, but in Monsanto’s America, all of a sudden it’s a right we have to fight for.