The following is an editorial contributed by Cameron Higbe. All views, thoughts and opinions belong solely to the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Drury Mirror. 

Drury University is a school founded upon the emphasis of ethical values. Therefore, it makes sense that we Drury students should favor a state-wide policy advertised as “sensible ethics reform.” However, this measure is much more complicated than CLEAN Missouri leads on. While many of its advocates may be genuine, the premise of Amendment 1 is muddy and frankly falls prey to the same ethical dilemmas it claims to solve.

CLEAN Missouri has masqueraded ethics reform as the attractive face of the Amendment 1 initiative, but this façade starts to pale and crack as a closer look reveals not only a pork barrel of cherry-picked agendas, but more importantly: a lengthy receipt of questionable supporters. Why would a grassroots initiative aiming to limit campaign funding and lobbyist gifts feel comfortable accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in dark money from a Texas 501(c)(4) political organization (The Action Now Initiative) that refuses to disclose its donors? Of the millions of dollars pouring into CLEAN Missouri, why does so much of it come from outside of Missouri? These are inquiries I’ve had for some time, but I have yet to hear a solid answer to either of them.

Yet, this is only the beginning of the questionable motivations surrounding Amendment 1. The biggest issue with this initiative is the drastic changes to how districts are drawn. By invoking the boogieman of gerrymandering and peddling the mythical ideal of a “non-partisan state demographer,” Amendment 1 seeks to garner support for a structure that actually increases the risk of partisan abuse and overreach. Currently, the responsibility of drawing districts belongs to the balanced commission system, which hosts an equal number of seats for both Republicans and Democrats—regardless of which party controls the House, Senate or Governor’s Mansion. This balanced commission draws the district maps, which are then proposed at a minimum of three public hearings. New maps can only be finalized by a 70 percent  approval vote within the bipartisan commission.

CLEAN Missouri would upheave this system by redirecting unprecedented power to the State Auditor—a partisan position—to handpick an unelected official to decide the district lines, as long as approval is given by the leader of each legislative chamber. Not only does this move further away from accountability to the Missouri population, it intensifies the risk of dramatically biased borders. Currently, Republicans hold a trifecta in state government (control of both legislative chambers and the Governor’s seat). Why would either party—especially Democrats—want to risk a partisan take-over of redistricting privileges when we currently have a system that was designed to guarantee bipartisan results?

Ultimately, this petition’s contents are miscellaneous and sprawled out across the Missouri Constitution. This is why it was initially struck down by Missouri Circuit Judge Daniel Green as unconstitutional. The Missouri Constitution states that petitions to amend itself may only affect one article or create one new article pertaining to one issue at a time. Meanwhile, Amendment 1 touts ethics reform while accepting large financial gifts from across the country, praises drastic unilateral changes to the drawing of district boundaries while labeling bipartisanship as an abuse of public authority, and demands campaign contribution limits while spending millions on a supposedly “grassroots” effort.

Unfortunately, an appellate court reinstated the measure back on the ballot after CLEAN Missouri appealed the previous ruling and the Missouri Supreme Court declined to consider the issue further. Now the decision is up to us. Don’t be fooled by its flowery language; CLEAN Missouri is dirty and hurts all of us in the state, regardless of party affiliation. Vote NO on Amendment 1!

Article contributed by Cameron Higbe.

Cameron Higbe is a senior studying Strategic Communication, Political Science and Business Administration. He currently serves as President of the Drury College Republicans after reestablishing this group on campus his sophomore year. Cameron is passionate about getting fellow young people involved in the political process and sees an informed, compassionate voter base as the key to a healthy democratic republic.