Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander says a court-ordered change to a proposed tobacco tax is not enough to disqualify it from the ballot.
Kander told local election authorities Monday to continue verifying petition signatures submitted for the proposal. If the measure has enough valid signatures, Kander says he will certify it for the November ballot.
The measure proposes a gradual 60-cent increase to the state's 17-cent-a-pack cigarette tax. It also proposes a 67-cent-a-pack fee on companies that weren't part of a 1998 settlement between states and big tobacco companies.
An appeals court ruled the ballot summary prepared by Kander's office should be changed to say the fee will rise annually.
The opponents' attorney, Chuck Hatfield, says he likely will sue again if Kander certifies the measure for the ballot.
