Laws governing the initiative process in Missouri

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Citizens of Missouri may initiate legislation as either a state statute or a constitutional amendment. In Missouri, citizens also have the power to repeal legislation via veto referendum. The Missouri General Assembly may also place measures on the ballot as legislatively referred constitutional amendments or legislatively referred state statutes with a majority vote.

Crafting an initiative

Of the 24 states that allow citizens to initiate legislation through the petition process, several states have adopted restrictions and regulations that limit the scope and content of proposed initiatives. These regulations may include laws that mandate that initiatives address only one topic, restrict the range of acceptable topics for proposed laws, prohibit unfunded mandates and establish guidelines for adjudicating contradictory measures.

Single-subject rule

See also: Single-subject rule

Missouri has a single-subject rule for all ballot measures. In addition, the rule limits the number of sections of the constitution an amendment may revise. It states: "Petitions for constitutional amendments shall not contain more than one amended and revised article of this constitution, or one new article which shall not contain more than one subject and matters properly connected therewith."

See law: Missouri Constitution, Article III, Section 50

Subject restrictions

See also: Subject restrictions (ballot measures)

No measure may be used for an unconstitutional purpose. Initiatives in Missouri must also specify a funding source sufficient to cover any expenditures they mandate.

See law: Missouri Constitution, Article III, Section 51

Veto referendums on emergency legislation

In Missouri, veto referendums cannot be used on emergency legislation.

See law: Missouri Constitution, Article III, Section 52(a) and Missouri Revised Statute Title I, Section 1.130

Competing initiatives

See also: Superseding initiative; "Poison pills"; List of Missouri ballot measures

Missouri law provides that in the event that two conflicting state statute measures are approved, the measure with the most affirmative votes supersedes the other. Likewise, in the case of two conflicting amendments that are both approved by a majority of voters, the measure with the most affirmative votes supersedes the other. This provision is not applied to the scenario of a constitutional amendment competing with a proposed state statute.

See law: Missouri Constitution, Article III, Section 51 and Missouri Revised Statutes, Title IX, Chapter 116, Section 116.320

Starting a petition

Each initiative and referendum state employs a different procedure for filing petition applications. Some states require preliminary signatures while others do not. In addition, several states review each proposed statute, verifying that the law conforms to the style and conventions of state law and recommending alterations to initiative proponents. Some of these states also review the law for more substantive considerations of content and consistency. Also, many states conduct a review of the ballot title and summary, and several states employ a fiscal review process which analyzes proposed laws to determine their impact on state finances.

Applying to petition

See also: Approved for circulation

Prior to collecting signatures, proponents must file a draft of the petition form, including the text of the amendment or statute, with the secretary of state. They must also designate one person to receive official notices regarding the measure. The secretary of state then forwards the petition to the attorney general for review and the state auditor for a fiscal analysis.

A 2020 circuit court ruling and 2022 state supreme court ruling overturned state law requiring veto referendum petitioners to wait to collect signatures until after approval of the petition by the secretary of state, which means the ruling allowed veto referendum petitioners to begin collecting signatures immediately without waiting for a certified ballot title and petition. The ruling did not apply to ballot initiative petitions.

See law: Missouri Revised Statutes, Title IX, Chapter 116, Section 116.180 and Section 116.332

Proposal review/approval

See also: Approved for circulation

Once the attorney general has received the draft petition forms, he reviews the form of the petition and, along with his acceptance or rejection, sends comments on the petition to the secretary of state. The secretary then makes the final decision as to the approval or rejection of the petition in light of the attorney general's opinion.

See law: Missouri Revised Statutes, Title IX, Chapter 116, Section 116.332

Petition summary

See also: Starting a petition

Once a measure receives final approval, the secretary of state drafts a summary of the measure consisting of not more than 100 words and sends it to the attorney general for approval as to its fairness and accuracy. The fiscal note must also be approved for the official ballot title to be certified, allowing the signature petition to be circulated. In Missouri, the "ballot title" consists of the summary followed by the fiscal note summary. The title must be affixed to the petition.

• A number of official ballot titles can be found here.

See law: Missouri Revised Statutes, Title IX, Chapter 116, Section 116.180 and Section 116.334

Fiscal review

See also: Fiscal impact statement

Once the State Auditor has received the petition, he or she prepares a fiscal note and a fiscal note summary of less than 50 words. The attorney general reviews the fiscal note and summary for fairness and legal content then either approves or rejects them. Once approved, the fiscal note summary is included on petitions.

Note: On March 1, 2012, the Missouri Circuit Judge Jon Beetem ruled that the state's fiscal review process for ballot measures violates the Missouri Constitution. The state constitution requires that, "No duty shall be imposed on [the state auditor] by law which is not related to the supervising and auditing of the receipt and expenditure of public funds." Since evaluating proposed measures concerns potential impacts, Beetem ruled that the task falls outside the auditor's supervisory role. In addition, he ordered the statement to be removed from the ballot title in question. A similar ruling in 1996 found that the Joint Committee on Legislative Research could not evaluate proposed initiatives.

On July 31, 2012, after multiple appeals, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that the state auditor does have the constitutional right to prepare the financial summaries of proposed citizen-initiated measures.

See law: Missouri Revised Statutes, Title IX, Chapter 116, Section 116.175

Petition form

General requirements

Missouri law requires:

“

Initiative and referendum petitions filed under the provisions of this chapter shall consist of pages of a uniform size. Each page, excluding the text of the measure, shall be no larger than eight and one-half by fourteen inches. Each page of an initiative petition shall be attached to or shall contain a full and correct text of the proposed measure. Each page of a referendum petition shall be attached to or shall contain a full and correct text of the measure on which the referendum is sought. 2. The full and correct text of all initiative and referendum petition measures shall: (1) Contain all matter which is to be deleted included in its proper place enclosed in brackets and all new matter shown underlined; (2) Include all sections of existing law or of the constitution which would be repealed by the measure;

”

The "ballot title" for the proposed initiative, which consists of the ballot summary and fiscal note must also be attached to each petition sheet.

Enacting clause of laws

Moreover, the "enacting clause" of a proposed initiated constitutional amendment must read: “Be it resolved by the people of the state of Missouri that the Constitution be amended:” ...

And the "enacting clause of a proposed initiated state statute must read: “Be it enacted by the people of the state of Missouri:”

Template for petition forms

The final form circulated to collect signatures must be in substantial conformity with state law. The basic form to be followed can be found in Missouri Revised Statutes Section 116.040 for initiatives and Section Section 116.030 for referendums.

County listed on each page

Each page of the petition sheet must contain the name of the county from which signatures were collected. Signatures from voters who reside in a different county than the one listed at the top of the page will be thrown out.

See law: Missouri Revised Statutes, Title IX, Chapter 116, Section 116.30.1 - 116.60.1 and Section 116.334

Collecting signatures

Each initiative and referendum state employs a unique method of calculating the state's signature requirements. Some states mandate a certain fraction of registered voters while others base their calculation on those who actually voted in a preceding election. In addition, many states employ a distribution requirement, dictating where in the state these signatures must be collected. Beyond these overarching requirements, many states regulate the manner in which signatures may be collected and the timeline for collecting them.

Number required

See also: Missouri signature requirements

In Missouri, the signature requirement totals for initiatives are based on the number of votes cast for governor in the state's most recent gubernatorial election. In two-thirds of Missouri's congressional districts, proponents must collect signatures equal to 5 percent of the gubernatorial vote for initiated state statutes and veto referendums and 8 percent of the gubernatorial vote for initiated constitutional amendments. Therefore, the total number of signatures required is less than 5 percent or 8 percent of the total votes cast for governor.

2022-2024

To get initiatives on the 2022 and 2024 general election ballots, the minimum number of signatures required is 171,592 for initiated constitutional amendments and 107,246 for initiated state statutes and veto referendums. These numbers were calculated through looking at voting totals in the six smallest congressional districts. If other districts are targeted for signature collection, the requirements will be higher.

Congressional district	2020 gubernatorial vote	Rank	Req. for statutes and referendums	Req. for amendments
1st	320,388	8	16,020	25,632
2nd	451,233	1	22,562	36,099
3rd	416,231	2	20,812	33,299
4th	368,104	5	18,406	29,449
5th	355,720	6	17,786	28,458
6th	390,227	3	19,512	31,219
7th	375,158	4	18,758	30,013
8th	335,262	7	16,764	26,821

2018-2020

To get initiatives on the 2018 and 2020 general election ballots, the minimum number of signatures required was 160,199 for initiated constitutional amendments and 100,126 for initiated state statutes and veto referendums. These numbers were calculated through looking at voting totals in the six smallest congressional districts. If other districts were targeted for signature collection, the requirements were higher.

Congressional district	2016 gubernatorial vote	Rank (among districts)	Req. for Statutes and Veto ref.	Req. for Amendments
1st	319,649	7	15,983	25,572
2nd	422,866	1	21,144	33,830
3rd	379,936	2	18,997	30,395
4th	338,786	5	16,940	27,103
5th	326,951	6	16,348	26,157
6th	357,579	3	17,879	28,607
7th	343,171	4	17,159	27,454
8th	316,324	8	15,817	25,306

2014-2016

To get initiatives on the 2014 and 2016 general election ballots, the minimum number of signatures required was 157,788 for initiated constitutional amendments and 98,618 for initiated state statutes and veto referendums. These numbers were calculated through looking at voting totals in the six smallest congressional districts. If other districts were targeted for signature collection, the requirements were higher.

Congressional district	2012 gubernatorial vote	Rank (among districts)	Req. for Statutes and Veto ref.	Req. for Amendments
1st	345,026	3	17,252	27,603
2nd	404,209	1	20,211	32,337
3rd	351,362	2	17,569	28,109
4th	325,375	6	16,269	26,030
5th	334,068	5	16,704	26,726
6th	338,577	4	16,929	27,087
7th	324,291	7	16,215	25,944
8th	304,975	8	15,249	24,398

2010-2012

To get initiatives on the 2010 and 2012 general election ballots, the minimum number of signatures required was 159,359 for initiated constitutional amendments and 99,600 for initiated state statutes and veto referendums. These numbers were calculated through looking at voting totals in the six smallest congressional districts. If other districts were targeted for signature collection, the requirements were higher.

Congressional district	2008 gubernatorial vote	Rank (among districts)	Req. for Statutes and Veto ref.	Req. for Amendments
1st	301,597	8	15,080	24,128
2nd	382,957	1	19,148	30,637
3rd	312,172	5	15,609	24,974
4th	306,260	7	15,313	24,501
5th	311,686	6	15,585	24,935
6th	330,826	2	16,542	26,467
7th	325,991	4	16,300	26,080
8th	278,604	9	13,931	22,289
9th	328,315	3	16,416	26,266

2006-2008

To get initiatives on the 2006 and 2008 general election ballots, the minimum number of signatures required was 150,496 for initiated constitutional amendments and 94,060 for initiated state statutes and veto referendums. These numbers were calculated through looking at voting totals in the six smallest congressional districts. If other districts were targeted for signature collection, the requirements were higher.

Congressional district	2004 gubernatorial vote	Rank (among districts)	Req. for Statutes and Veto ref.	Req. for Amendments
1st	289,772	6	14,489	23,182
2nd	359,833	1	17,992	28,787
3rd	297,193	4	14,860	23,775
4th	285,362	7	14,268	22,829
5th	294,086	5	14,704	23,527
6th	322,185	2	16,109	25,775
7th	318,120	3	15,906	25,450
8th	269,539	9	13,477	21,563
9th	284,049	8	14,202	22,724

See law: Missouri Constitution, Article III, Section 50 & 53

Distribution requirements

See also: Distribution requirements

Missouri's distribution requirement, unlike that found in most states, affects the total number of signatures required to qualify for the ballot. Petitioners in Missouri must collect the required signatures from at least two-thirds of the state's congressional districts. As there are eight congressional districts, sufficient signatures must be collected from six of them. Petitioners are free to select which congressional districts they will focus on for the purpose of collecting signatures.

See law: Missouri Constitution, Article III, Section 50 and 53

Restrictions on signers

Registered voters

All those who sign the petition must be registered voters of the state of Missouri.

Counties

Each page of the petition sheet must contain the name of the county from which signatures were collected. Signatures from voters who reside in a different county than the one listed at the top of the page will be thrown out.

See law: Missouri Revised Statutes, Title IX, Chapter 116, Section 116.60.1

Restrictions on circulators

Circulator requirements

See also: Petition circulator

In Missouri there are no laws regarding whether circulators are permitted to sign the petition that they are circulating. Each initiative petition contains a mandatory circulator affidavit. Circulators are required to sign these affidavits before a public notary and must swear to and sign a statement, under the penalty of law, that they personally witnessed every act of signing the petition. Those circulating petitions are required to be at least 18 years of age and registered with the secretary of state, including paid or volunteer status. Once circulation is completed, the signatures are submitted to the secretary of state and all pages must be submitted at one time. The signature pages must be in order and numbered sequentially by county, except in counties that include multiple congressional districts, the signatures may be ordered and numbered using an alternate numbering scheme approved in writing by the secretary of state prior to submission of the petition.

The following statutes are effective as of November 4, 2014:

• Petition circulators must swear under the penalty of perjury that all statements made by them are true, that he or she has never been convicted of, found guilty of, or pleaded guilty to any action regarding forgery.
• Petition circulators must swear under the penalty of perjury that they are at least 18 years old.
• Petition circulators must acknowledge whether or not they are being paid to circulate the petitions and by whom.
• Petition circulators must be registered with the secretary of state's office by the last day on which petitions can be filed with the secretary of state.
• Any person who has been convicted of, found guilty of, or pleaded guilty to an act involving forgery cannot qualify as a petition circulator.

See law: Missouri Revised Statutes - 116.040, Missouri Revised Statutes - 116.080, Missouri Revised Statutes - 116.100 and Missouri HB 117

Pay-per-signature

See also: Pay-per-signature

Missouri allows paying signature gatherers based on the number of signatures collected.

See law: Missouri Constitution, Article III, Sections 49-53 & Missouri Revised Statutes, Title IX, Chapter 116

Out-of-state circulators

See also: Residency requirements for petition circulators

Missouri does not require that petition circulators reside in the state.

See law: Missouri Revised Statutes, Title IX, Chapter 116, Section 116.080

Badge requirements

See also: Badge requirements

Missouri does not employ a badge requirement. However, all circulators must register with the state and disclose to the state whether they are paid or volunteer.

See law: Missouri Revised Statutes, Title IX, Chapter 116, Section 116.040 and Section 116.080

Electronic signatures

See also: Electronic petition signatures

Since electronic signatures are an emerging technology, the constitutionality of bans on e-signatures and the legality of e-signatures in states without bans is largely untested. Missouri law does mandate that signatures be collected in person.

See law: Missouri Revised Statutes, Title IX, Chapter 116, Section 116.030

Deadlines for collection

See also: Petition drive deadlines; Initiative petition circulation periods

In Missouri, petitioners may begin collecting signatures once the official ballot title has been certified. Initiatives can be filed with state officials to request an official ballot title immediately after a general election. Signatures must be filed with the secretary of state six months prior to the next biennial election, leaving a maximum of 18 months to circulate petitions.

See law: Missouri Constitution, Article III, Sections 50 and Missouri Revised Statutes, Title IX, Chapter 116, Section 116.334

Getting on the ballot

Boxes of petitions filed at Missouri secretary of state's office on May 2, 2010 Photo credit: Earl Glynn

Once signatures have been collected, state officials must verify that requirements are met and that fraudulent signatures are excluded. States generally employ a random sample process or a full verification of signatures. After verification, the issue must be prepared for the ballot. This often involves preparing a fiscal review and ballot summary.

Signature verification

See also: Signature certification

Once the signatures have been filed with the secretary of state, the secretary copies the petition sheets and transmits them to county election authorities for verification. The secretary may choose whether the signatures are to be verified by random sample or actual verification.

If the random sample method is chosen, 5 percent of the signatures are selected at random for verification. If, projecting from the sample, between 90 percent and 110 percent of the required signatures are valid, the remaining signatures must be individually verified. If the random sample results in an projection of above 110 percent of the required valid signatures, the petition is deemed sufficient. If the projection is below the petition is declared insufficient.

See law: Missouri Revised Statutes, Title IX, Chapter 116, Section 116.120 ; Section 116.130 and Section 116.150

Suspension of law targeted by referendum

See also: Veto referendum

If a referendum petition is certified as sufficient, the law targeted by the referendum petition is suspended until after the election on the law is held.

Article III, Section 52(b), of the Missouri Constitution says the following: "Any measure referred to the people shall take effect when approved by a majority of the votes cast thereon, and not otherwise."

Moreover, Missouri case law explicitly applies this provision to measures referred to the ballot through veto referendum petitions and clarifies that successful referendum petitions suspend the relevant bill. The Missouri Supreme Court ruling in State v. Toberman, for example, uses Section 52(b) to make arguments about a referendum petition.

See law: Missouri Constitution, Article III, Section 52(b) and State v. Toberman

Ballot title and summary

See also: Ballot title

In Missouri, the ballot title, which includes the ballot summary and fiscal note, are prepared by the secretary of state, state auditor and attorney general prior to signature collection. Once a measure has been certified, the secretary of state drafts "fair ballot language" explaining the meaning of a "yes" or a "no" vote. This language must be approved by the attorney general for fairness and legal content. While it does not appear on the ballot, the language is posted at polling sites.

Measures are also assigned a generic name (e.g. Proposition A, Constitutional Amendment No. 1...).

• An example of a sample ballot can be found here.
• Examples of ballot titles and fair ballot language for several measures can be found here.

See law: Missouri Revised Statutes, Title IX, Chapter 116, Section 116.025 ; Section 116.180 ; Section 116.210 ; Section 116.22 and Section 116.334

The election and beyond

Ballot measures face additional challenges beyond qualifying for the ballot and receiving a majority of the vote. Several states require ballot measures to get more than a simple majority. While some states mandate a three-fifths supermajority, other states set the margin differently. In addition, ballot measures may face legal challenges or modifications by legislators. If a ballot measure does fail, some states limit how soon that initiative can be re-attempted.

Supermajority requirements

See also: Supermajority requirements

Ballot measures do not require a supermajority for passage in Missouri.

See law: Missouri Constitution, Article III, Section 51

Effective date

Missouri initiatives take effect as soon as they are approved by voters.

See law: Missouri Constitution, Article III, Section 52(b)

Litigation

See also: Ballot measure lawsuit news

Any citizen may challenge a ballot title or a decision regarding the sufficiency of petition signatures. Such challenges should be brought in the Cole County Circuit Court. Any court-ordered changes to ballot titles must be paid for by the state.

See law: Missouri Revised Statutes, Title IX, Chapter 116, Section 116.190 ; Section 116.195 and Section 116.200

Legislative alteration

See also: Legislative alteration

The Missouri State Legislature may repeal or amend any statute approved by voters. To repeal or alter an amendment, they must follow the ordinary legislative referral process. In order to place an amendment on the ballot, lawmakers in each chamber must pass the resolution with a majority vote. The amendment is then presented to voters.

See law: Missouri Constitution, Article III, Section 52(b) and Article XII, Section 2(a)

Preemptive legislative alteration

In 2008, state legislators preemptively created exemptions to Proposition C, a citizen initiative that required increased renewable energy and prevented energy rates from increasing by more than 1 percent annually. Once the initiative was proposed, but before it was put before voters and approved, the legislature passed a law that exempted certain energy companies according to its own, different standards and tacked on a clause that protected the exemptions from the imminent Proposition C by saying, “notwithstanding any other provision of law.” On February 10, 2015, however, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that such alteration is unacceptable. Judge Laura Denvir Stith, writing for the Missouri Supreme Court majority, rejected the legislature's tactic and insisted that the simple disclaimer could not be used to “preclude the people by initiative from adopting a law in conflict with the statute.” She continued, “Such unilateral, preemptive action by the Legislature serves as an end run around the constitutionally protected right of the people of Missouri to enact legislation by ballot initiative." The final conclusion is, lawmakers have to wait until an initiative is voted on before trying to mess with it.

Judge Zel Fischer, however, gave the dissenting opinion that the people’s initiative power should fall under the legislatures power, not supersede it. He said, “In my view, the People by adopting a provision for initiative legislation simply reserved to themselves a share of legislative power, but they did not intend to establish a trump card over the republican form of the government."

Re-attempting an initiative

Missouri does not limit how soon an initiative can be re-attempted.

See law: Missouri Constitution, Article III, Sections 49-53 and Missouri Revised Statutes, Title IX, Chapter 116

Funding an initiative campaign

See also: Campaign finance requirements for Missouri ballot measures

The notable features of Missouri's campaign finance law includes:

• Missouri has two designations for groups in support of or opposition to a ballot measure. Most are called Continuing Committees, while groups in support of or opposition to judicial selection ballot measures are Campaign Committees.
• Missouri requires all committees to follow the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance reform law for broadcast advertisement disclaimers.
• Missouri bans committees from accepting out-of-state contributions unless the committee is registered in Missouri.
• Missouri requires reporting of contributions of $5,000 or more to the Missouri Ethics Commission within 48 hours of when they are received.

State initiative law

Article III, Sections 49-53 of the Missouri Constitution addresses initiative, referendum, and recall.

• Article III, Missouri Constitution

Title IX, Chapter 116 of the Missouri Code governs initiative, referendum, and recall.

• Missouri Revised Statutes, Title IX, Chapter 116

External links

• Missouri Secretary of State, "Elections, Initiative Petitions and Ballot Question," accessed April 16, 2015
• Missouri Secretary of State, "Making Your Voice Heard," revised February 2013

Changes in the law

The following laws have been proposed that modify ballot measure law in Missouri. If a box is empty for any given year, it means Ballotpedia did not track any ballot measure or recall-related laws in that year.

Proposed changes by year

2022

See also: Changes in 2022 to laws governing ballot measures

No Bans on Choice et al. v. Ashcroft See also: Missouri Supreme Court, No Bans on Choice et al. v. Ashcroft, February 8, 2022 On February 8, 2022, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that state law prohibiting signature gathering for a veto referendum before the referendum's official ballot title is certified violates citizens' constitutional rights to use the referendum process. The 3-2 opinion upheld a lower court's ruling, which held that the statutes "dramatically reduce the time available for the circulation of a referendum petition, both in theory and in practice." As of 2022, veto referendum campaigns in Missouri had 90 days following the legislature's adjournment to submit enough valid signatures for a veto referendum. The challenged statutes permitted the government to take up to 51 days to prepare an official ballot title, leaving campaigns with "39 days under the worst-case scenario" to collect signatures, according to the court. The No Bans on Choice Committee and ACLU filed the litigation after suspending their signature drive for a veto referendum, saying there was insufficient time. The organizations were supporting a referendum against House Bill 126 (HB 126), which included an eight-week abortion ban except in the case of medical emergencies. On December 4, 2020, Circuit Court Judge Jon Beetem ruled that Missouri could not prohibit campaigns from gathering signatures prior to receiving a certified ballot title. The ruling was appealed to the state Supreme Court.

2021

See also: Changes in 2021 to laws governing ballot measures

2020

See also: Changes in 2020 to laws governing ballot measures

No Bans on Choice et al. v. Ashcroft See also: Missouri Supreme Court, No Bans on Choice et al. v. Ashcroft, February 8, 2022 On February 8, 2022, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that state law prohibiting signature gathering for a veto referendum before the referendum's official ballot title is certified violates citizens' constitutional rights to use the referendum process. The 3-2 opinion upheld a lower court's ruling, which held that the statutes "dramatically reduce the time available for the circulation of a referendum petition, both in theory and in practice." As of 2022, veto referendum campaigns in Missouri had 90 days following the legislature's adjournment to submit enough valid signatures for a veto referendum. The challenged statutes permitted the government to take up to 51 days to prepare an official ballot title, leaving campaigns with "39 days under the worst-case scenario" to collect signatures, according to the court. The No Bans on Choice Committee and ACLU filed the litigation after suspending their signature drive for a veto referendum, saying there was insufficient time. The organizations were supporting a referendum against House Bill 126 (HB 126), which included an eight-week abortion ban except in the case of medical emergencies. On December 4, 2020, Circuit Court Judge Jon Beetem ruled that Missouri could not prohibit campaigns from gathering signatures prior to receiving a certified ballot title. The ruling was appealed to the state Supreme Court.

2019

See also: Changes in 2019 to laws governing ballot measures

2018

See also: Changes in 2018 to laws governing ballot measures

2017

See also: Changes in 2017 to laws governing ballot measures

See also: Laws governing ballot measures in Missouri d Missouri Senate Bill 389 was designed to do the following: require petition circulators to be registered voters in Missouri; require petition circulators to carry badges identifying whether or not they are volunteers or paid circulators; and prohibit paying petition circulators based on the number of signatures collected. SB 389 was the same as HB 1055. d Missouri House Bill 1055 was designed to do the following: require petition circulators to be registered voters in Missouri; require petition circulators to carry badges identifying whether or not they are volunteers or paid circulators; and prohibit paying petition circulators based on the number of signatures collected. HB 1055 was the same as SB 389. d Missouri House Bill 1043 was designed to do the following: require a $500 fee from petitioners to cover signature verification costs, which would be refunded upon the successful certification of the initiative; The fee could be waived if proponents showed that the could not pay it. require signature petitions to be submitted nine months before the election rather than six months before the election; require petition circulators to carry badges identifying whether or not they are volunteers or paid circulators; and prohibit paying petition circulators based on the number of signatures collected. d Missouri House Bill 269 was designed to prohibit the use of any public funds or resources to be used to support or oppose ballot questions and establish penalties.

2016

See also: Changes in 2016 to laws governing ballot measures

See also: Laws governing ballot measures in Missouri d Missouri House Bill 2341: Was designed to establish "a recall process for elected officials of 4th class cities." d Missouri House Joint Resolution 78: Was designed to propose "a constitutional amendment to allow an elected official of this state or any of its political subdivisions to be removed from office by recall petition."

2015

See also: Changes in 2015 to laws governing ballot measures

See also: Laws governing ballot measures in Missouri a Senate Bill 104: "Requires actions challenging initiatives and referendums to be fully adjudicated more than fifty-six days prior to the election in which the measure will appear on the ballot." a Missouri House Bill 722: Was designed to prohibit cities and counties from imposing local minimum wages that are higher than the state-set minimum wage. Gov. Jay Nixon (D) vetoed the bill on July 10, 2015. The Missouri State Legislature overturned the governor's veto. d House Joint Resolution 19: "Proposes a constitutional amendment requiring two-thirds majority for voter approval of any initiative relating to bird, fish, game, wildlife, or forestry resources;" requires voter approval. d House Joint Resolution 13: "Proposes a constitutional amendment that increases the percentage of legal voters required to propose an initiative petition amending the Constitution from 8% to 15% of voters;" requires voter approval. d House Bill 65: "Requires actions challenging initiatives and referendums to be fully adjudicated more than fifty-six days prior to the election in which the measure will appear on the ballot."

2014

See also: Changes in 2014 to laws governing ballot measures

The following bills were introduced in the Missouri State Legislature: d HJR 88: Authorizes a constitutional amendment ballot measure seeking to prohibit the legislature from amending or repealing an initiative approved by voters except by referral to voters in a referendum. d SB 631: Requires a preliminary five thousand sponsoring signatures of registered voters of Missouri in support of an initiative before the initiative petition can be cleared for circulation. d SB 486: Makes changes to laws governing campaign finance for ballot measure supporters and opponents. d SB 487: Makes changes to laws governing campaign finance for ballot measure supporters and opponents. d SB 738: Makes changes to laws governing campaign finance for ballot measure supporters and opponents.

2013

• Missouri House Bill 117 was approved in 2013.

See also: Changes in 2013 to laws governing ballot measures

The following bills were introduced in the Missouri State Legislature: a HB 117: Changes the laws regarding petition circulators and the duties of the Secretary of State regarding initiative and referendum petitions. d HB 661: Specifies that any issue to increase any tax, license, fee, or levy requiring voter approval under Article X of the Missouri Constitution must be placed on the ballot only on the general election day. d HJR 10: Proposes a constitutional amendment requiring a four-sevenths voter majority approval of an initiative petition related to crop production, livestock, or agriculture in order for it to take effect. d SB 135: Requires a newly formed Fair Ballot Commission to approve fair ballot language and ballot summary statements. d SB 2: Requires the Secretary of State to post the full text of an initiative or referendum on its website, along with sponsorship information.

2012

See also: Changes in 2012 to laws governing ballot measures

The following bills were introduced in the Missouri State Legislature: d HJR 39: Proposes a constitutional amendment limiting the legislature's power to repeal or amend initiated statutes. To repeal or amend an initiated statutes the proportion of legislators voting in favor of the change must meet or exceed the percentage of voters who voted in favor of the initiative. d HJR 52: Proposes a constitutional amendment requiring any initiative related to the harvesting of "bird, fish, game, wildlife, or forestry resources" to receive a two-thirds majority vote at the ballot box. Initiatives concerning the creation, repeal, or modification of sales taxes collected for conservation are exempt from the requirement. d HJR 47: On April 13, the Missouri House passed House Joint Resolution 47 which would lower the state's Missouri signature requirements but institute a distribution requirement. HJR 47 is a legislatively referred constitutional amendment and must be approved by the Senate and the voters in order to take effect. d SB 808: Implements recall elections for U.S. Senators. The bill's official summary: This act authorizes legal voters to petition for a recall election for United States senators. Petitions shall be signed by at least 8% of voters in each of 3/4 of the congressional districts, the total number of voters being based on the number of votes cast for the incumbent at the last preceding election in which he or she was elected. If an election is held, opposing candidates are then nominated as if in an election to fill a vacancy and the incumbent shall continue to serve until the election results are declared. The election shall be held on the next day available for holding public elections that occurs at least 10 weeks after the Secretary of State verifies the petition. Senators are only subject to one recall per term.

2011

See also: Changes in 2011 to laws governing ballot measures

The following bills were introduced in the Missouri General Assembly: Missouri House Bill 521: Excerpt of bill description/summary: "This bill establishes a procedure by which an ambulance district board member may be recalled from office by the registered voters of the member's election district." Missouri House Bill 535: Excerpt of bill description/summary: "This bill changes the laws regarding the circulation of initiative and referendum petitions. In its main provisions, the bill: (1) Requires a petition circulator to be a citizen of the United States, to show proof of being a resident of Missouri, to register with the Secretary of State before collecting signatures, and to affirm that these requirements have been satisfied; (2) Specifies that a person must not qualify as a petition circulator if he or she has been convicted of, found guilty of, or pled guilty to any offense involving or considered forgery." Missouri House Bill 856: HB 865 would change a number state statutes governing the I&R process. Among other things, the bill would prevent any technical error, except those made by signers themselves, from invalidating a signature. In addition, the bill would require each page of a petition to include an affidavit indicating whether the circulator is being paid. The bill would make it a crime to deceive someone into signing a petition they did not intend to sign. Also, the bill would make it a crime to obstruct signature gathering by force or intimidation. The bill would also establish new rules for challenging ballot titles. Missouri House Joint Resolution 16: HJR 16 is a proposed constitutional amendment that would change Missouri's geographic distribution requirement. Currently, petitioners must collect signatures equaling 8% of the vote cast for governor in six of the state's nine US Congressional districts. Under the proposed amendment, petitioners would have to collect these signatures in all nine of the districts. Citizens in Charge Foundation rating: Reduces initiative rights. Missouri House Joint Resolution 20: Bill description/summary: "Upon voter approval, this proposed constitutional amendment changes the laws regarding the repeal or modification by the General Assembly of a statutory provision of a referendum that was passed by voters. During the first general assembly session after the effective date of the statute, the General Assembly cannot repeal or modify a statutory provision of a referendum without a two-thirds majority vote; without a four-sevenths majority vote during the second session after the effective date of the statute; or without a simple majority vote after the third session of the General Assembly after the effective date of the statute." Missouri House Joint Resolution 21: Bill description/summary: "Upon voter approval, this proposed constitutional amendment changes the laws regarding the repeal or modification by the General Assembly of a statutory provision of a referendum that was passed by voters. During the first general assembly session after the effective date of the statute, the General Assembly cannot repeal or modify a statutory provision of a referendum without a two-thirds majority vote; without a four-sevenths majority vote during the second session after the effective date of the statute; or without a simple majority vote after the third session of the General Assembly after the effective date of the statute." Missouri House Joint Resolution 23: Bill description/summary: "Upon voter approval, this proposed constitutional amendment changes the requirements for submitting an initiative petition that proposes an amendment to the Missouri Constitution or a referendum petition to establish or amend a state law. Currently, an initiative petition must be signed by 8% of the legal voters in each of two-thirds of the state's Congressional districts before it can be placed on the ballot. The resolution requires 15% of the legal voters in each of the Congressional districts to sign the petition. The number of signatures required for an initiative petition or a referendum petition is also increased from 5% to 10% of those voters." Missouri Senate Joint Resolution 13: Bill description/summary: "Upon voter approval, petitions for a referendum shall be signed by 5% of the legal voters in each of the congressional districts in the state instead of by 5% of the legal voters in each of 2/3 of the districts. Similarly, petitions for initiatives proposing constitutional changes shall be signed by 8% of the legal voters in each of the congressional districts in the state instead of by 8% of the legal voters in each of 2/3 of the districts."

2010

See also: Changes in 2010 to laws governing ballot measures

The following bills were introduced in the Missouri General Assembly: d HB 1441: Would establish registration requirements for petition circulators. The bill was defeated without seeing a vote in either house of the General Assembly. d HB 1749: A initiative and referendum reform package that would ban pay per signature for circulators, prohibits circulators from being convicted of forgery, makes it a crime to sign a petition in another person's name, no longer count petition signatures before ballot titles are formed by the Missouri Secretary of State, and requiring fiscal impact statements for ballot measures. The bill was defeated without seeing a vote in either house of the General Assembly. d HB 1788: A bill that would ban out-of-state petition circulators, prohibits circulators from being convicted of forgery, bans multiple petition circulation by a circulator, bans pay-per-signature for circulators, requires circulators to file affidavits with the Missouri Secretary of State verifying their eligibility. The bill was approved by the Missouri House of Representatives on April 19, 2010 on a 130-24 vote. The bill was defeated in the Senate without a floor vote scheduled. d HB 1842: Would change counting requirements to determine if a tax measure passes the super-majority requirements. The bill was approved by the Missouri House of Representatives on March 24, 2010. The bill died in the Missouri State Senate despite the bill was approved out of Senate committee on April 26, 2010. d HB 2180: A bill that would change the verification procedures for initiative and referendum petitions including adding increased oversight of initiative applications by the Missouri State Auditor and Missouri Attorney General. The bill was defeated without seeing a vote in either house of the General Assembly. d HB 2465: Would allow citizens to recall Board of Directors members of Ambulance Districts. The bill was defeated without seeing a vote in either house of the General Assembly. d HJR 63: Would add a distribution requirement that in order to qualify an initiative that signatures must come from two-thirds of Missouri's congressional districts. The resolution was defeated without seeing a vote in either house of the General Assembly. d HJR 92: Would change minimum requirements for placing a signature on an initiative or referendum petition. The resolution was defeated without seeing a vote in either house of the General Assembly. d HJR 94: Would add a congressional district requirement in addition to meeting the minimum signature threshold. The resolution was defeated without seeing a vote in either house of the General Assembly. d SB 581: Would allow third class cities in Missouri to have advisory referendums with a simple majority requirement. The bill was approved by the Missouri Senate on a 29-2 vote with three Senators not voting on February 18, 2010. The bill was defeated in the Missouri House without seeing a floor vote. d SB 796: Would ban pay-per-signature of petition circulators. The bill was defeated without seeing a vote in either house of the General Assembly. d SB 818: Changes in how petitions for initiatives and referendums are verified and approved. The bill was defeated without seeing a vote in either house of the General Assembly.