Missourians head to the polls for our primary election this August. We’ll decide on four constitutional amendments. One of those amendments will change how future proposals end up on the ballot in the first place.
Amendment 4 would change what’s called the initiative petition process. The process allows for and governs the means by which Missouri citizens can gather signatures, propose and pass amendments to the state constitution. 26 states allow for some form of initiative petition, including most states west of the Mississippi.
High profile changes in Missouri in recent years have ridden the process to success, including amendments adjusting the states minimum wage, legalizing cannabis, expanding Medicaid and enshrining a right to an abortion. Changes many see as exceedingly progressive, and out-of-step with a state that has had a Republican supermajority for over a decade.
The state legislature has debated efforts to curb the initiative petition process in the past. Last year, Moberly area Republican Rep. Ed Lewis, sponsored the bill that became Amendment 4. Rep. Lewis described his legislation as an attempt to get away from a process that encourages partisanship and towards a system that rewards broad consensus.
Currently, if an initiative petition has enough signatures in enough districts in Missouri, it can appear on a ballot and succeed with a statewide majority vote. Amendment 4’s most significant change to the process will require that proposed initiative petition amendments pass with a majority vote in each of Missouri’s eight Congressional districts. Amendments proposed by the Missouri legislature would still require a statewide majority.
KSMU spoke with advocates for and against Amendment 4 to get a sense of how the debate is shaping up as election day nears.
Byron Keelin is President of the group Freedom Principle
"What we have right now is mob rule, and we're not a direct democracy in Missouri,” Keelin said. “We are a republic. We elect legislators, we elect senators, we elect those people to represent us.”
Keelin said Amendment 4 puts power back into the hands of lawmakers, and by their representation, the average voter.
“They are there to speak on our behalf. We don't allow the US Constitution to be manipulated by initiative petition. So why should we allow the Missouri Constitution to be manipulated by initiative petition? The issue here is that when these progressive and corporate interests come, they're not seeking statewide approval on these issues. They're targeting the urban areas. They're targeting Kansas City, St. Louis, Columbia, and maybe even a little bit of Springfield on some issues. But the issue here is that they're not seeking approval from all Missourians. What Amendment 4 does is that it requires that all Missourians have an equal say in what goes into our Constitution, instead of just a handful of people living in densely populated counties.”
Benjamin Singer, is a co-founder of Respect Missouri Voters.
“Under Amendment 4 your vote can be canceled by just one congressional district,” Singer said. “That means just 5% of Missouri voters could vote down what the rest of the state approves."
He said that can stymie popular proposals that may be disliked by lobbyists and party leaders.
“We believe here in Missouri and one person, one vote and majority rule. And that's how citizen initiatives have worked for 118 years. But this would end majority rule, take away power from voters and hand it to politicians. And the special interests who control them, make it basically impossible for citizens to use the initiative process to have a check on government and hold our leaders accountable.”
Singer said he believes it's a non-partisan issue. He cited a 1992 veto of similar legislation.
“When Democrats ran the legislature, they were doing the same stuff. They passed a bill that would make it harder to use the initiative process. And it was vetoed by Republican Governor John Ashcroft. And in his veto statement, Governor Ashcroft said it is through the initiative process that citizens who have no influence with their elected representatives can take issues directly to the people. He was right then, and he's right today. Regardless of what party is in power, the people need to have a check on government, and amendment four would end that check on government and majority rule and take away power from the people.”
Keelin said the power being taken away is that of outside influence.
“When you look at Amendment 3 in 2024, they received almost$4.5 to $5 million from a group called the 1630 Fund. And that group, you know, received like $10 million from a Swiss billionaire. That money is being used and funneled through third party groups here in Missouri to promote ballot initiatives.”
He also points to initiatives pushed by the sports betting and cannabis industries. Keelin, and many supporters of Amendment 4 point out over 20% of the Missouri Constitution’s total text is now made up of the rules governing legal cannabis.
Singer and his group point to a different precedent.
“In 2016. There was a measure that passed overwhelmingly in Missouri,” he explained. “It was from citizens gathering signatures, putting it on the ballot and taking it to the people, because politicians wouldn't. And it banned any new sales taxes on services, things like doctor's visits, home remodeling, haircuts, any of that, any new service that wasn't previously subject to sales tax. It passed overwhelmingly across the state, except in one place. It narrowly failed in the St. Louis Congressional District, Congressional District One. And if Amendment 4 were in place back then, it would have failed just because of St. Louis, and politicians would have been jacking up sales taxes on services this whole time.”
Keelin and others say the legislature better reflects the will and values of the people. They also point out that Amendment 4 will not entirely get rid of the initiative petition process, and the state has other options for citizens to affect change.
“If we want to keep our state a state worth living in, then we have to amend the initiative petition process. And, you know, we actually do have a process for amending the Constitution, and it's called a constitutional convention. We vote on it every 20 years. So, if people want to amend the Constitution, they can do it."
That vote will come at a later date.
This August voters will decide Amendment 4 and the future of the initiative petition process in Missouri.