JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins today urged the legislature to take decisive action to reform the state’s initiative petition (IP) process. Secretary Hoskins emphasized that decades of abuse by out-of-state special interests have turned this citizen tool into a vehicle for exploitation, straining state resources, and cluttering Missouri’s Constitution with amendments that too often originate from outside the state rather than the elected legislature.
“Our initiative petition system is being abused—not serving the people of Missouri, but special interests from out of state,” said Secretary Hoskins. “National groups flood Missouri with dozens of nearly identical petitions, waste taxpayer money, and risk confusing Missourians with conflicting amendments. Missouri’s constitution is not for sale.”
Secretary Hoskins strongly supports Governor Mike Kehoe’s proclamation convening a special session of the General Assembly starting Wednesday, September 3, 2025, to address both mid-decade redistricting and overdue reforms to the state’s initiative petition (IP) process. “Missouri’s citizens deserve direct democracy—not a system hijacked by well-funded out-of-state actors.”
Secretary Hoskins emphasized:
“Courts have already made clear that mid-cycle changes to the initiative process in 2026 are unconstitutional. That means the time to fix this is now. Waiting will only allow special interests to continue exploiting the system—and we can’t let that happen again.”
Missouri’s Initiative Petitions by the Numbers
“These are not fringe victories—they are major policy shifts enacted through the initiative process, not through our elected legislature, and they are stuck on the Missouri Constitution,” noted Secretary Hoskins. “Missouri’s constitution is sacrosanct, not a playground for special interest group experimental policies.”
- Over 130 initiative petitions have been filed with the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office for the 2026 ballot, many of which are nearly identical copies of each other.
- In recent cycles, the Secretary’s Office has seen a dramatic uptick in state approved circulations: one such sponsor has submitted more than 75 nearly identical petitions, overwhelming staff with repetitive review demands.
- Recent initiative successes include:
- 2020 Medicaid Expansion (Amendment 2) – Passed by 53.3% of voters in August 2020.
- 2022 Recreational Marijuana Legalization (Amendment 3) – Approved by 53.1% in November 2022. Previously failed in 2016; 2018 medical marijuana amendment passed.
- 2024 Reproductive Freedom (Amendment 3) – Narrowly passed, guaranteeing reproductive rights to fetal viability as of December 23, 2024.
Initiative Petition Data
| Year | Total IP Submitted | IPs Rejected | IPs Withdrawn | IPs Approved for Circulation | IPs Submitted with Signatures | Initiative Petitions on Ballot | Referendum Petitions on Ballot | JR/Leg. Referendums on Ballot | Total Ballot Measures | IP Ballot Appearance Rate | IPs Received by January 31 (Odd Year) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004* | At least 16 | Unknown | Unknown | At least 11 | At least 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | Unknown | 1 |
| 2006 | 44 | 1 | 24 | 19 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 6.82% | 0 |
| 2008 | 55 | 12 | 18 | 25 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5.45% | 0 |
| 2010 | 105 | 39 | 43 | 23 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 2.86% | 21 |
| 2012 | 143 | 18 | 78 | 47 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 1.40% | 41 |
| 2014 | 129 | 16 | 48 | 65 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 0.78% | 20 |
| 2016 | 238 | 40 | 108 | 90 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1.68% | 20 |
| 2018 | 371 | 184 | 39 | 148 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 1.35% | 156 |
| 2020 | 148 | 44 | 25 | 79 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0.68% | 40 |
| 2022 | 89 | 39 | 1 | 49 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 1.12% | 13 |
| 2024 | 174 | 9 | 24 | 139 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 2.30% | 68 |
| 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 25 | — | — |
| Totals (2006-2024) | 1496 | 402 | 408 | 684 | 39 | 27 | 1 | 32 | 60 | 1.80% | 379 |
*2004 information based on available data from website – records are largely missing
Court Precedent: No Mid-Cycle Fix in 2026
Missouri courts have already made clear that efforts to amend initiative rules mid-cycle—while petitions are circulating—will be blocked as unconstitutional retrospective legislation. That means any reforms must be legally effective before petition circulation begins if they are to shape the 2026 process.
Proposed Reforms to Restore Integrity
Secretary Hoskins urged the General Assembly to act quickly—ideally in 2025 with an emergency clause—to implement reforms that would:
- Limit abuse of process, by instituting modest filing fees and banning duplicate or near-duplicate submissions.
- Ensure broad geographic support, strengthening the constitutional “district distribution” requirement so that petitions reflect statewide, not concentrated, backing.
- Ban foreign or out-of-state fundraising, and stiffen penalties for fraudulent signatures or circulator misrepresentations.
- Increase transparency, with public comment periods and clear, plain-language explanations available before signature gathering begins.
Missouri Values over Outsider Agendas
“This is about preserving our constitution for Missourians—not letting it become a bargaining chip in national agendas,” said Secretary Hoskins. “By acting now, the legislature can send a clear message: Missouri protects citizen initiative, but we also protect our process from being manipulated.”
