Amendment 4 would require all 8 Missouri districts to agree on citizen petitions

By: Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) -- August voters are set to decide on Amendment 4, which looks to increase the required number of votes needed for a citizen petition to pass.

Currently, amendments pass through a simple majority. If approved, Amendment 4 would require a majority vote in all eight of the state's congressional districts.

Previous ballot measures like the state legalizing sports betting in 2024 and expanding Medicaid eligibility in 2020, were approved by 50.05% and 53.27%. If under Amendment 4, they would not have passed since they were not approved by voters in Congressional District 7 in southwest Missouri.

"We all want that every voice is heard and that rural Missouri is just as important as urban or suburban Missouri in having their voices heard and known, especially if you're going to change the Constitution," bill sponsor Rep. Ed Lewis (R - Moberly) said.

Supporters of Amendment 4 argue the measure helps balance the weight of votes, particularly in rural areas. When the state approved abortion access through a vote in 2024 by a 51.6% popular vote in the state, though it only carried a majority vote in a handful of counties, predominantly in the St. Louis and Kansas City areas, as well as Boone County.

"The conversation leaves rural Missourians out from the very beginning, this change will ensure that any time amendments are proposed, that all voices will matter in the conversation," Missouri Farm Bureau President Garrett Hawkins said. The group has been supportive of initiative petition reform for decades.

Opponents of Amendment 4 argue that a majority of each district is not a true majority rule. If 50.1% of voters voting "no" in one district could cause a measure to fail, that means 5% of voters statewide could block the measure.

"It is not about majority, Amendment 4 destroys majority rule," Campaign Director for Protect Majority Rule M'Evie Mead said. "A small group of voters, particularly as little as 5% of voters, could overrule what the rest of the state is voting in favor of and what they want to see change."

Co-founder of Respect Missouri Voters Benjamin Singer argues that the citizen petition process is one of the only ways residents can check the local legislature.

"Over 80% of amendments come from politicians, not from voters, and they're not making it harder at all for politicians to amend our Constitution," Singer said.

The measure will also require the full text of initiative petitions to be shown to voters on the ballot. It would also make it so that no foreign entities could help fund campaigns of ballot initiatives or participate in the citizen petition process.

"The initiative petition process should not be the playground for out-of-state interests and for people to put their own, business plan into the Missouri Constitution," Lewis said. "I think that's an important thing that this amendment does."

Other 2026 ballot measures can be found on the Secretary of State's website. July 8 is the last day for residents to register to vote.