Recount sought on Missouri’s ‘right-to-farm’ amendment
Perhaps the most disappointing outcome of the primary elections held earlier this month was the slim victory of Amendment 1 — the so-called “right to farm” amendment. The provision sounds innocuous (“Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to ensure that the right of Missouri citizens to engage in agricultural production and ranching practices shall not be infringed?”) but is so alarmingly vague that there is widespread concern it insulates CAFOs and other gigantic corporate farming outfits from regulation by local, state and federal governments. Its passage is a win for industrial agriculture heavyweights like Monsanto and Cargill doing business in Missouri, not ordinary Missouri farmers. We wrote a little about this here.
Anyway, the final vote was extremely close — Amendment 1 passed by 2,490 votes, or about a quarter of a percentage point. Losers of a Missouri ballot initiative are permitted to request a recount if the margin is a half percentage point or less. Yesterday, a coalition of Amendment 1 opponents — including Missouri’s Food for America, the Missouri Farmers Union, and the Missouri Rural Crisis Center — formally called for a recount.
“We are talking about less than a quarter of percent of all votes cast,” said Wes Shoemyer, president of Missouri’s Food for America, in a release. “With such a close margin, we owe it, not just to all the volunteers and organizations who put in countless hours fighting for Missouri’s family farmers, but also to the 497,091 people who voted “no” on August 5th.”
“With the future of Missouri’s farmland and rural economy at stake, we ought to be sure every vote was counted correctly,” said Richard Oswald, president of the Missouri Farmers Union. “With such a close outcome, a change in just 1 or 2 votes per precinct could sway the outcome.”
The recount is expected to commence sometime this week. The AP notes that this will be the fourth statewide recount in the last 20 years. None have overturned the original result.
