Posted August 8, 2014
Opponents of Missouri's Right to Farm constitutional
amendment were weighing a recount request, after the measure appeared to pass
by the slimmest of margins, according to a Springfield News Leader article by
the Associated
Press. The New York Times also published an article available here.
The
unofficial election tally revealed that almost 1 million votes were cast and Amendment
1 was carried by just over 2,500 votes with a margin of 0.2 percent. The
measure was favored in most rural counties, with opposing areas in St. Louis, Kansas
City, Springfield and Columbia.
Missouri
law allows for a recount if the victory margin is 0.5 percent or less, however,
the losing side must request the recount. The request can not be made until the
vote is certified, which could take up to three weeks, Missouri Secretary of
State spokesman Kevin Flannery said.
Missouri Farmers Care, an umbrella organization of
agricultural groups and corporations that supported the amendment, said that a
recount was expected, according to The
New York Times.
“We are confident that the winning vote will stand,” the group said in a Facebook post.
Executive
Director Dan Kleinsorge blamed the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) for an
onslaught of TV ads that made the vote close, according to Springfield
News Leader.
"I
think a big part of the HSUS strategy was to confuse voters and get a 'no' vote
that way," Kleinsorge said. "The amendment is pretty straightforward
and it's a very positive thing."
The secretary of state has until August 26 to certify the
results, at which point a recount may be requested by anyone who opposed the
measure, according to The
New York Times.
For more information on Right to Farm laws and for a
compilation of states’ Right to Farm statutes, please visit the National
Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
