Missouri is on track to have sports betting legalization on the ballot in November thanks to a citizen-led ballot initiative. If voters approve the measure, Missouri’s state constitution would be amended to allow sports wagering in the state.
The most recent efforts to bring sports betting to Georgia would have also required voter approval. The difference was that Georgia’s potential ballot initiative was driven by the General Assembly, which ultimately failed to approve it for November’s ballot.
So, could Georgians take the same approach as Missouri and force a vote on sports betting via a citizen-led initiative, instead of relying on state lawmakers to pass legislation?
The short answer is “no.” Regrettably, Georgia is one of 24 states that doesn’t allow for citizen-led ballot initiatives.
Georgia proposal to allow citizen-led ballot initiatives stalled
In the last legislative session, state lawmakers considered companion measures to legalize Georgia sports betting. If passed, a ballot initiative would have appeared on November’s ballot for residents to vote on. Unfortunately, arguments over how to spend the tax revenue from sports wagering killed the legislation.
During the same session, Democratic lawmakers proposed amending the constitution to allow for citizen-led ballot initiatives. According to a Georgia Recorder report, the proposed amendment would have required signatures from 10% of those who voted in the most recent presidential election.
If enough signatures were collected and the measure made it to the ballot, it would have then required two-thirds of voters to approve it. But Republicans, who hold the majority in both legislative chambers, stalled the proposal.
Missouri’s path to getting sports betting on the ballot
To get an initiative on the ballot that changes the state constitution in Missouri, petitioners must collect signatures equal to 8% of the number of votes for governor in the most recent election. That amounts to a little over 171,000 certified signatures, which need to be collected from two-thirds of Missouri’s congressional districts.
The political action committee Winning for Missouri Education, with support from the state’s professional sports teams and funding from DraftKings and FanDuel, submitted 340,000 signatures for the sports betting amendment initiative.
The Missouri Secretary of State’s Office has until Aug. 13 to give final approval of the petition, after which it would appear on the ballot on Nov. 5. The vote will be close in November, according to polling.
If at first you don’t succeed …
That can’t happen in the Peach State. It’s up to the Georgia General Assembly to place an initiative to legalize sports betting on the ballot.
A constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers to pass. The fact that sports betting measures cleared that threshold in the Senate suggests that lawmakers may attempt to pass one again when legislation is considered next session.
However lawmakers approach it, the key will continue to be garnering enough votes in the House, where both Democratic and Republican opposition has so far proven to be an insurmountable obstacle.
