Busy ballot in November

Missouri has become as ballot happy as just about any state.

In another era, we’d expect legislators to do their jobs: Vote on policies and then defend those votes come election time. No more. Missourians this fall will vote on any number of initiatives brought forth by petitions this spring. It’s another import from California making its way around the country.

Assuming the petitions pass muster – and we might not know until late summer – the ballot this fall will include quetions on requiring the use of more renewable energy, limiting the use of eminent domain, allowing some health-care workers to unionize and – here we go again – getting rid of the casino loss limits.

Speaking of California imports, there was an effort to get rid of affirmative action rules, but that petition didn’t get enough signatures. Neither did an effort to revisit stem-cell research, which voters have already approved but that opponents are still targeting. Advocates of both issues say they’ll try again in 2010.

A few weeks ago, state legislators shot down an effort to politicize the selection of judges – another nationwide movement that could have have come to a ballot near you – but we surely haven’t heard the last of that.