St. Louis Public Radio: “St. Louis Voters Could Decide On Changing Board Of Aldermen Ward Boundaries”

“Backers of the plan that would transfer power over redistricting from aldermen and the mayor to a nine-person commission submitted signatures to the St. Louis Board of Elections on Monday. The proposal would also require the financial disclosure documents of aldermen to be posted online and bar aldermen from taking votes in which they have a personal or financial interest.

‘Today the coalition is turning over 38,000 signatures representing the voices of 38,000 concerned people of the city of St. Louis,’ said Yinka Faleti, a supporter of what's known as Proposition R and the 2020 Democratic nominee for Missouri secretary of state.

Benjamin Singer, executive director of the group Show Me Integrity, which is backing the plan, said there are measures in place to make sure the nine-person commission is as effective as possible in drawing a map.

Proposition R also would require a citywide vote to make any changes to a system known as approval voting that St. Louis residents adopted in 2020.

Asked why organizers wanted this provision in Proposition R, especially when it could forestall relatively minor changes to the approval voting system, Singer replied: ‘The people are in charge, and the aldermen are supposed to answer to the people.’

‘And if the aldermen want to change what the people wanted when it comes to how we elect our public officials, then they should consult with their constituents,’ Singer said.”

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