How Amendment 4 would change the initiative petition process

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- The August 4th primary election is now less than a month away with four amendments set to be vote on.

One of the issues that will be on the Missouri ballot is Amendment 4, which would change how the initiative petition process would work.

The way petitions get on the ballot would be the same. The measure would need approval from six out of the eight districts in Missouri to get on the ballot. After that, it comes down to a majority vote. This is where Amendment 4 would change things. Instead of a majority vote, citizen led petitions would need all eight districts to pass with a majority.

Benjamin Singer is a co-founder of Respect Mo Voters and is pushing for voters to vote against Amendment 4.

"We should never vote to give up our power and hand it to politicians," said Singer. "No other state requires initiatives to win in every district, and that's what Amendment 4 would do."

Missouri State Representative Dean VanSchoiack is a politician in favor of the amendment. He explained why this would help state residents that don't live in Missouri's major cities.

"Rural Missouri is being outvoted by the large cities," said VanSchoiack. "Many of these initial petitions that have passed recently didn't pass in rural Missouri. They would not have passed under this law."

Early voting begins on July 21, while Election Day is August 4.