Eleanor Finch
The Missouri Constitution allows citizens to initiate legislation as either state statutes or constitutional amendments. This can be done via the initiative petition process, which requires signatures from at least 171,592 Missouri residents for a proposed amendment to get on the ballot. For an amendment to pass, a simple majority of voter support is needed. However, there have been recent efforts by Republican lawmakers to increase the threshold to a supermajority of 57% or 60% to make it more difficult to amend the constitution. These proposed changes have sparked debate, with some arguing that changing state laws should not be left to voters, while others defend the initiative petition process as a form of democratic participation. As of November 5, 2024, Missouri voters will decide on Amendment 7, which seeks to change voting rules within the state's constitution, including prohibiting ranked-choice voting and restricting voting rights to only citizens of the United States.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Current voting threshold for constitutional amendments | Simple majority |
| Proposed voting threshold for constitutional amendments | 57% supermajority |
| Previous proposed voting threshold for constitutional amendments | 60% supermajority |
| Number of signatures required for proposed amendments to be included on the ballot | 171,592 |
| Date of vote on proposed amendment | November 5 |
| Year of vote on proposed amendment | 2024 |
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What You'll Learn
- A simple majority is currently required for constitutional amendments
- Republicans want to increase the threshold to a 57% supermajority
- This would make it harder to pass amendments like marijuana legalisation
- Democrats and Republicans are divided over the issue
- Amendment 7 would change voting rules, prohibiting ranked-choice voting
A simple majority is currently required for constitutional amendments
In Missouri, a simple majority is currently required for constitutional amendments. This means that a majority of voters must support the amendment for it to pass. The Missouri Constitution allows citizens to initiate legislation as either state statutes or constitutional amendments. This process is known as the initiative petition process. For a proposed amendment to get on the ballot, the current requirement is at least 171,592 signatures.
However, there have been recent efforts to change this requirement. Some Republican lawmakers have argued that the increasing length of the constitution with each new amendment is problematic. They believe that changing state laws should not be left to voters, as many are unaware of the full contents of what they are voting on. As a result, the Missouri House passed legislation to increase the threshold to pass an initiated constitutional amendment from a simple majority to 60%. This legislation also requires the secretary of state to provide a period in each congressional district to review and comment on the proposed constitutional amendments.
The proposed legislation has faced opposition, with some arguing that citizens use the initiative petition process to participate in democracy. Additionally, the Missouri State Senate amended the legislation, changing the 60% supermajority requirement to 57%. This final legislation did not pass the House again before the end of the legislative session.
The debate over the vote threshold for constitutional amendments in Missouri continues, with the GOP-led House amending a proposed constitutional amendment that, if approved by voters, would raise the vote threshold needed for all constitutional amendments in the future. This amendment includes a provision to ban noncitizens from voting, which has sparked division among Republican and Democratic lawmakers.
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Republicans want to increase the threshold to a 57% supermajority
In Missouri, voting on a constitutional amendment can take place following a simple majority statewide vote. However, Republicans have been trying for years to increase the threshold for passing constitutional amendments, arguing that policies such as the legalization of recreational marijuana, which only secured 53% of the vote, should not be included in the constitution.
On January 5, 2023, the Missouri House Republicans approved a plan to raise the threshold for constitutional amendments from a simple majority to 57%. The Missouri State Senate amended the legislation, changing the requirement to a 57% supermajority vote and a simple majority in five of the state's eight congressional districts. The final legislation did not pass the House before the end of the legislative session.
The Republican proposal has caused division among the party, with some arguing that it infringes upon the constitutional freedoms of Missouri citizens. The proposal also includes a provision to ban noncitizens from voting, which has set up a showdown with the GOP-led Senate.
The Missouri 57% Supermajority Vote Requirement for Constitutional Amendments Measure was not on the ballot in Missouri on November 5, 2024. This measure, if passed, would have created a 57% supermajority vote requirement for any constitutional amendment by the state legislature and voters. It would also have amended the Missouri Constitution to restrict legal voters to citizens of the United States, aged 18 or older, and residents of the state who are properly registered to vote.
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This would make it harder to pass amendments like marijuana legalisation
Missouri voters approved Amendment 3, legalizing the recreational use of marijuana for adults 21 and over. The amendment also provides for the expungement of criminal records for those with past non-violent marijuana charges. The amendment was approved by a margin of 53-47% and went into effect on December 8, 2022.
However, the process of passing Amendment 3 faced several challenges and opposition. There was initial resistance to the amendment due to concerns over the rollout of the industry and licensing issues. Lawmakers also pushed back against the amendment, with Republicans in Jefferson City seeking to make it more difficult for constitutional amendments like marijuana legalization to reach a statewide vote.
The passage of Amendment 3 highlights the ongoing debate and efforts to legalize recreational marijuana in Missouri. While supporters celebrated the amendment as a significant step forward for criminal justice reform, there were also concerns and disagreements regarding its implementation.
To address these challenges, lawmakers proposed the Missouri 57% Supermajority Vote Requirement for Constitutional Amendments Measure. This amendment sought to increase the vote threshold required for passing any constitutional amendment by the state legislature and voters. The Missouri House of Representatives initially passed an amendment requiring a 60% supermajority vote, which was later amended to 57% by the Missouri State Senate. However, the final legislation did not pass the House again before the end of the legislative session.
The proposed supermajority vote requirement faced opposition from both Republicans and Democrats in the Senate. While Republicans wanted to include additional provisions, such as banning noncitizens from voting, Democrats negotiated to strip this language from the amendment. Despite these efforts, the final legislation did not pass, and the simple majority vote requirement remains in place for constitutional amendments in Missouri.
The debate around the supermajority vote requirement and the challenges faced by Amendment 3 highlight the ongoing political and legislative complexities surrounding marijuana legalization in Missouri. While supporters celebrate the passage of Amendment 3 as a victory for criminal justice reform, the implementation process and potential future amendments continue to shape the landscape of marijuana legalization in the state.
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Democrats and Republicans are divided over the issue
Missouri is the latest state to re-examine its constitutional amendment procedure, with Republicans and Democrats divided over the issue. The GOP-led House amended a proposed constitutional amendment that, if approved by voters, would raise the vote threshold needed for all constitutional amendments going forward. The amendment would require a majority of votes in five out of eight congressional districts to pass.
Currently, the Missouri Constitution is amended with a simple majority statewide vote. Republicans argue that the constitution should not be co-opted by special interests, political parties, deep pockets, billionaires out of state, and foreign interests. They have been trying for years to put stricter limits on constitutional amendments, arguing that policies such as the legalization of recreational marijuana, approved by voters in 2022, should not be included in the document.
Democrats, on the other hand, argue that the proposed changes would take away the citizens' ability to hold the Legislature accountable. They believe that the ballot initiative is a crucial tool for citizens to hold their legislators accountable when they go too far or don't do enough. Some critics, including Democratic state Rep. Joe Adams, have called the Republican-led efforts a power grab that denies citizens their right to participate in a democracy.
The division between Republicans and Democrats over this issue is not unique to Missouri. In recent years, Republican legislators in other states have proposed similar legislation, although the majority of these efforts have failed. For example, in South Dakota, lawmakers struck down a similar measure, and over half of Ohio voters rejected Republican efforts to raise their ballot measure threshold.
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Amendment 7 would change voting rules, prohibiting ranked-choice voting
Missouri voters approved Amendment 7 in the general election on Tuesday, November 6, 2024. The amendment prohibits ranked-choice voting, a voting method that allows voters to rank their preferred candidates in order of preference. While ranked-choice voting is not currently used statewide in Missouri, the amendment bans local governments from enacting it in the future.
Amendment 7 requires that Missouri elections use plurality voting, where the candidate who receives the most votes wins. It establishes that each voter has one vote per issue or open seat and prohibits the ranking of candidates. The amendment also prohibits top-two primaries, top-four primaries, and other similar electoral systems. It requires that only one candidate from each political party, the one who received the most votes, advances to the general election.
Supporters of ranked-choice voting argued that it would discourage the polarization and dysfunction that have been prevalent in the Missouri Capitol in recent years. They criticized Amendment 7 for limiting the choices of Missouri voters and stamping that limitation into the state constitution. Rep. Deb Lavender, a Manchester Democrat, called the amendment "one of the silliest things the legislature has ever done."
Critics of Amendment 7 also pointed to language attached to the measure by Republican lawmakers that asked voters to ban non-U.S. citizens from voting in the state, even though this practice is already illegal. This provision was criticized as "ballot candy," a way to court voters by playing on fears about illegal immigration. A Cole County judge rejected a lawsuit arguing that the language was misleading, acknowledging that Missouri already has statutes that prohibit non-citizens from voting in public elections.
The approval of Amendment 7 reflects the ongoing debate in Missouri over how to amend the state constitution. Republican Missouri lawmakers have been divided over proposals to raise the vote threshold for constitutional amendments, with some arguing that stricter limits are needed to prevent policies such as the legalization of recreational marijuana from being included in the constitution. The specific process for voting on constitutional amendments in Missouri involves putting a legislatively referred constitutional amendment before voters, which requires a simple majority vote in both the Missouri State Senate and the Missouri House of Representatives.
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Frequently asked questions
Currently, a simple majority statewide vote is required to amend the Missouri Constitution.
The Missouri House of Representatives voted 108-50 to pass an amendment that would require a 60% supermajority vote for all new constitutional amendments. The Missouri State Senate amended the legislation, changing the 60% supermajority requirement to 57%.
The final legislation did not pass the House again before the end of the legislative session. However, there is ongoing pressure on lawmakers to send constitutional changes to the ballot, as advocates are working to get a constitutional amendment to restore abortion rights in Missouri on the ballot.
Some Republican lawmakers want to make it more difficult to amend the constitution, arguing that the increasing length of the constitution with each new amendment is problematic. They also argue that changing state laws should not be left to voters because many are unaware of the full contents of what they are voting on. Opponents argue that citizens use the initiative petition process to participate in democracy.
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