Transportation tax struck down; voters rally around personal liberties

Missouri voters said yes to three of five statewide ballot measures Tuesday, but a proposed transportation tax was not one of them.

The Associated Press reported that voters rejected Amendment 7, which would have prompted a 0.75 percent increase in Missouri's sales and use tax to fund transportation projects such as state and local highways, roads and bridges.

The ballot measure was estimated to raise $480 million annually for the next 10 years. It also would have made unsafe infrastructure a funding priority.

Some opponents were concerned the tax would burden lower-income people and argued that a fuel tax would be more appropriate, taxing only those who use the highways and roads. Supporters countered by claiming that raising the gas tax would require an unacceptable spike in fuel prices.

Amendment 5

Missourians will enjoy an "unalienable" right to keep and bear arms, thanks to the passage of Amendment 5.

Some criticized the amendment, declaring it unnecessary and potentially dangerous to public safety, but supporters see it as a necessary precaution.

Amendment 8

The AP reported that Missouri voters rejected Amendment 8, which would have created a new lottery ticket to benefit veterans' assistance programs.

Opponents argued that if it had passed, the proposed ticket could have drawn lottery ticket buyers away from the conventional lottery, diverting funds from education.

Supporters, on the other hand, praised it as an effective way to generate funds to help give back to veterans.

Amendment 9

Missourians voted enthusiastically to pass Amendment 9, which will extended the state Constitution's protection against unreasonable search and seizure to include electronic data and communications.

The result showed a consistent 4-to-1 split in favor of the measure for most of the night as votes were tallied Tuesday. The margin shrank slightly near the end of the night, but the measure passed handily.

Amendment 1

Amendment 1, known as Right-to-Farm, was ahead by 4 points when the Southeast Missourian went to press, but had not been called officially.

The measure would ensure Missouri farmers have the right to grow crops and raise livestock.

Opponents hold that the language used would give unforeseen leeway to larger agribusiness operations engaging in controversial farming practices such as cultivating genetically modified crops.

Supporters champion Right-to-Farm as a safeguard against unnecessarily burdensome regulations being imposed from outside Missouri