Several St. Louis-area election reform groups want to set up a public financing system for St. Louis County elections, which they say would help build trust in elected officials.

“People look at the people-backed candidates, and they look at who's on the side of big money, and they're voting for the people-backed candidates,” said Benjamin Singer of Show Me Integrity during an appearance on the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air. 

Show Me Integrity, a political action group which has opposed Amendment 7, called the amendment a ‘trick measure’ in a statement Tuesday night.“Politicians are afraid of competitive elections, so they lied to trick Missourians into banning a better system,” said Show Me Integrity CEO Benjamin Singer. “We will build our citizen movement more powerful than ever to reverse Amendment 7 and bring more accountable elections for ALL Missourians.”

Amendment 7 was written to deceive voters into voting against their liberties, shredding our constitutional rights to local control by prohibiting powerful improvements to our elections that Missouri cities and counties are already working to implement. We need to focus on what brings us together in our politics, and Amendment 7 will prevent us from doing that.

This November, Missouri voters will consider Amendment 7. It’s a misleading measure that the Legislature placed onto the ballot to attack local control and limit voters’ freedom in elections. Unfortunately, it’s part of a pattern.

As you prepare to cast your ballot, recognize this measure for what it truly is — an attack on local control and voters' power to hold leaders accountable. "Consent of the governed" requires a system that reflects the will of the people. Don’t let deceptive measures undermine your voice, and keep in mind that this “trick measure” is an attempt to take your freedom away.

On June 10, prolific morning talk show host McGraw Milhaven interviewed Show Me Integrity CEO Benjamin D. Singer about the legislature’s “trick measure.” You can listen to the interview here.

Reading the fine print can be important not just in your personal life, but also when voting. This year, the Missouri General Assembly passed a deceptive measure that could actually make it harder for us to hold our leaders accountable. You will see this measure on your November ballot, claiming that it stops noncitizens from voting — even though that has been illegal for a century. It’s an unnecessary and misleading proposal, but without Missourians reading the fine print, it may very well pass — based on a lie.

Buried in this misleading language is the heart of the amendment: hurting local control by attacking your freedom to decide what type of elections you want in your city or county.

Fred Steinbach, a former finance director for Gov. John Ashcroft and member of Conservatives Against Corruption [a project of Show Me Integrity], said … “It’s a power grab. I think that the politicians and the special interests of Missouri are trying to thwart the will of the people. They’re trying to fool the will of the people. They’re trying to throw ballot candy onto an issue to make it possible to pass.”

The resolution has been heavily criticized by pro-democracy groups, including organizations like Show Me Integrity and Conservatives Against Corruption.

“Politicians and special interests in Jefferson City are trying to take away majority rule and have an attack on the people’s power to hold our leaders accountable through the initiative petition process,” Singer said.

[T]here have been quite a few eyebrow-raising purchases in the last year, according to Benjamin Singer, the CEO of Show Me Integrity.

“Keeping track of your receipts when you’re spending your employer’s money is something we’re all used to doing for our jobs. If we’re spending our employer’s money, that’s even more important when it’s the taxpayers, the citizens, the voters of St. Louis, who these department heads are working for,” he said.

Daniel Romine works with Conservatives Against Corruption and says Missouri Republicans are actively trying to roll back an important right of citizens.

“We have extremist politicians that feel like their bully pulpit is threatened when people are governing the laws. And these hearings are meant to figure ways to diminish the voice of the people,” said Daniel Romine, a board member of Show Me Integrity.

“We congratulate Gabe Gore, one of our supporters, and wish him luck turning the ship around,” said Benjamin Singer, CEO of Show Me Integrity, a cross-partisan organization aiming to reform Missouri politics.

Candidates in two-person races for city offices could skip a primary and run only in the general election under a plan to be submitted Thursday to the Board of Aldermen.

Four people active in the campaign to pass the “approval voting” measure in 2020 issued a statement Wednesday applauding Clark Hubbard “for proposing a common-sense approach” but stopped short of endorsing the change.
“We look forward to continuing the conversation with the Board of Aldermen on any changes, including potentially sending this to a vote of the people,” they said.

Among the four were representatives of Show Me Integrity, St. Louis Approves and the League of Women Voters’ St. Louis city unit.