Missouri Judge Blocks Vote on Amendment to Shield Citizen Initiatives

A Missouri court has dealt a setback to advocates seeking to strengthen protections for citizen-initiated laws, ruling that a proposed constitutional amendment will not appear on the November ballot.

Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green on Wednesday upheld a decision by Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, who had blocked the measure despite the submission of thousands of petition signatures. Hoskins argued that the amendment violated the state constitution by addressing multiple subjects and by restricting the state's republican form of government.

The proposed amendment would have required an 80% vote of lawmakers to repeal or amend any law passed by citizen initiative. It also sought to prevent the legislature from increasing the signature threshold for future ballot measures, shortening the collection period, or otherwise weakening the initiative process.

The ruling is expected to be appealed, leaving the door open for further legal challenges.

Missouri is one of roughly half of U.S. states that allow citizens to propose laws or constitutional amendments through petition drives. The state has become a focal point in the national debate over direct democracy. In August, voters overwhelmingly rejected a legislative measure that would have imposed some of the toughest requirements in the country for passing citizen-initiated amendments.

The latest effort was led by the group Respect Missouri Voters, which launched the petition drive after lawmakers last year repealed a voter-approved paid sick leave initiative and referred a new amendment to the ballot aimed at reversing abortion rights approved by voters in 2024.