At Least 44,000 Missourians Voted Against Health Law’s Individual Mandate
As was pointed out at a Cato Institute briefing this afternoon, there’s an interesting story lurking behind the vote tally for yesterday’s Missouri referendum opposing the health care law’s individual mandate. An analysis of final results from the Missouri Secretary of State’s office tells the story:
- A total of 577,612 voters cast ballots for one of nine Republicans in the state’s Senate primary;
- Another 3,502 voters cast ballots for one of two Libertarian candidates running for that party’s Senate nomination;
- A total of 1,883 voters cast ballots among three Constitutional Party candidates running for Senate; and
- A further 39,998 voters did not cast ballots in ANY party’s primary for Senate, yet voted on Proposition C statewide referendum.
A total of 622,995 voters fall into one of the four categories listed above. But according to the Secretary of State’s office, a total of 667,680 Missouri voters backed Proposition C. By definition, that means at least 44,685 Democrats voted FOR Proposition C, and thus AGAINST imposition of an individual mandate to purchase health insurance.
As was the case in Congress, so it proved in Missouri: The only thing bipartisan about the health care law was, and remains, the opposition to it.