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JEFFERSON CITY - Nearly 220,000 Missouri Petition Signatures were delivered to the Secretary of State around 2 p.m. on Friday, May 4.

The ballots call for a tobacco tax increase initiate to be included on the November ballot. The proposed petition initiative would help address Missouri's health, smoking and school funding problems through a proposed $.73 cent tax increase per cigarette pack.

"They are coming from six of the nine congressional districts who are required by state law to collect the net and meet the threshold of 5 percent in the previous gubernatorial election, so thats approximately one-hundred thousand signatures," said Misty Snodgrass, director of government affairs for the American Cancer Society. "We have nearly doubled what we actually need to have to turn in so that we will guarantee that we will be on the ballot in November."

The "Show-Me a Brighter Future" coalition has support from the American Cancer Society, the Missouri School Board Association and the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City.

Saturday, May 7 is the last day to turn in ballots.