Filibuster by Missouri Democrats stretches into a second day. What’s the fight about?

By SUMMER BALLENTINE
Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Democratic lawmakers are on the second day of a filibuster against a Republican proposal to raise the bar for amending Missouri’s constitution. Senate Democrats passed the 24-hour mark Tuesday after speaking nonstop overnight against the measure. Currently, constitutional amendments need a simple majority vote to pass. Republican lawmakers propose also requiring support from a majority of voters in a majority of the state’s congressional districts. Democrats want to strip provisions in the measure that also would bar noncitizens from voting, which is already outlawed. Democrats have vowed to block all other work until the proposal is whittled down to only address the threshold for passing constitutional amendments.