Electoral reform in Missouri

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Electoral reform in Missouri encompasses a range of legislative and policy changes aimed at modifying the state's electoral processes. These reforms have addressed issues such as voter identification requirements, ballot initiatives, voting methods, and redistricting procedures.

Contents

Missouri has implemented stringent voter identification laws. In 2022, House Bill 1878 was signed into law, mandating photo identification for voters and introducing other election-related provisions. [1] In November 2024, a Missouri judge struck down four provisions of this law, citing concerns over voter suppression and the criminalization of certain civic engagement activities. [2]

Ballot initiatives and constitutional amendments

Missouri has a history of utilizing ballot initiatives to enact policy changes. Between 1910 and 2022, 95 ballot initiatives appeared before Missouri voters, with 43 passing. [3] In recent years, efforts have been made to modify the process for amending the state constitution, including Senate Joint Resolution 74, which proposed requiring constitutional amendments to receive a majority vote statewide and in a majority of congressional districts. [4]

Voting methods and local reforms

In 2020, St. Louis adopted a unified primary system utilizing approval voting, allowing voters to select all candidates they approve of, with the top two advancing to a runoff. [5] This system was first used in the 2021 mayoral election. [6] Despite attempts to repeal it, the system remains in place due to voter support and legal protections. [7]

In 2024, the Missouri legislature passed a resolution to bar ranked-choice and approval voting voting in most of the state, with an exemption for St. Louis, which had recently implemented a form of approval voting. [8]

Redistricting and the "Clean Missouri" Initiative

In 2018, Missouri voters approved the "Clean Missouri" amendment, aiming to reduce gerrymandering by establishing a nonpartisan demographer for legislative redistricting. [9] But in 2020, voters passed Amendment 3, repealing key aspects of "Clean Missouri," returning redistricting authority to bipartisan commissions appointed by political parties and setting back the reform effort. [10]

Subsequent legal challenges tested the revised redistricting criteria. In 2023, a Missouri judge upheld the constitutionality of the new state Senate districts, emphasizing the importance of compactness over maintaining political subdivisions. [11]

Recent legislative actions

In April 2025, Governor Mike Kehoe signed into law two pieces of legislation concerning electoral procedures:

Federal influence on state reforms

Missouri officials expressed support for President Trump's March 2025 Executive Order titled Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections. [15] The order mandates proof of citizenship for voter registration in federal elections.

See also

References

  1. Moncrief, Jillianne (2022-06-29). "MO Gov. Mike Parson signs bill modifying the state's election laws, among others". WPSD Local 6. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  2. "Missouri Judge Strikes Down Four Provisions of Voter Suppression Law". Democracy Docket. 2024-11-27. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  3. "History of Initiative & Referendum in Missouri". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  4. Square, Joe Mueller, The Center (2024-04-29). "Resolution to change how voters alter Missouri Constitution in hands of Senate". Columbia Missourian. Retrieved 2025-05-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. "St. Louis passes Prop D, establishing non-partisan primary elections for citywide races". ksdk.com. 2020-11-03. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  6. "St. Louis Voters Use New Approval Voting System in March Primary Election | Center for Election Science | Design Lab". electionscience.org. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  7. Hubbard, Joan; American, LaShana M. Lewis for The St Louis (2022-02-28). "Protect Prop D from self-serving politicians". St. Louis American. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  8. Merchant, Josh (2024-11-06). "Missouri voters approve ban on ranked choice voting • Missouri Independent". Missouri Independent. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  9. "Missouri Amendment 1, Lobbying, Campaign Finance, and Redistricting Initiative (2018)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  10. Rudensky, Yurij; Limón, Gabriella (2021-09-14). "Missouri Amendment 3 Passed, What Does that Mean for Redistricting?". Brennan Center for Justice. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  11. "A Missouri court upholds state Senate districts in the first test of revised redistricting rules". AP News. 2023-09-13. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  12. "SB22 - Modifies provisions relating to summary statements for statewide ballot measures". www.senate.mo.gov. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  13. "Missouri Senate Passes Bill to Allow Politicians to Skew Ballot Language and Undermine Election Integrity - Missouri Jobs with Justice". 2025-02-27. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  14. Kroesen, Jake (2025-01-23). "Senate holds hearings for capital gains cuts and class action reform". The Missouri Times. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  15. "Missouri Leaders Applaud President Trump's Executive Order on Election Integrity". www.sos.mo.gov. Retrieved 2025-05-07.