Backers Fight to Get Medical Marijuana on Missouri Ballot

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Supporters of a proposal to allow medical marijuana in Missouri say thousands of signed petitions to get the measure on the ballot were wrongly tossed out.

A lawyer for the group New Approach Missouri told a circuit judge Monday that enough registered voters signed a petition to get the measure on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Secretary of State Jason Kander’s office says the proposal fell about 2,200 short of signatures needed.

But New Approach Missouri attorney Loretta Haggard says hundreds of signed petitions were thrown out because signatures didn’t match voter records or voters were incorrectly counted as not registered. She says some of those signatures should count.

Assistant Attorney General John Hirth, who represents Kander’s office, disagreed. Even with those signatures, Hirth said New Approach is short 23 signatures.

What do you think? Were the ballots tossed out in error?