JEFFERSON CITY (AP) – Missouri’s August elections could provide a case study for the ability of governors to affect proposed ballot measures, both politically and legally.

The Aug. 5 ballot will feature five proposed constitutional amendments. They are going before voters in the summer, because Gov. Jay Nixon used his constitutional powers to move up the election date from the traditional November time.

Politically, an August election could diminish the spill-over effect from hot-button issues affecting gun rights and farming, which could have drawn more Republican-inclined voters to the general election.

But the earlier election may also make it more difficult for opponents to challenge the ballot measures in court, because of court deadlines for rulings.