Missouri

There is a name for the type of government where “all political power is vested in and derived from the people” and founded upon the will of the people - it’s called democracy. When the acts of a democratic government are “instituted solely for the good of the whole”, a government is a Perfect Democracy.

Thanks to an amendment to the Missouri Constitution that was enacted in 1908, Missouri is one of fifteen states where citizens have the power “to propose and enact or reject laws and amendments to the constitution by the initiative, independent of the general assembly” and “to approve or reject by referendum any act of the general assembly”. The governor does not have the power to veto legislation or amendments enacted through the initiative.

[Eleven other states have provisions for referendums and/or the initiative for statutes and/or amendments. There is no provision for referendums or the initiative in the U. S. Constitution.]

Referendums and the Initiative

Referendums and the initiative are two powerful forms of direct democracy. Referendums vest all political power in the people. Every citizen has an equal vote, and a simple majority of the votes that are cast determines whether a proposed law or constitutional amendment is approved or rejected. The initiative gives the people of Missouri the power to originate and enact legislation, without the involvement or approval of the state legislature. The governor cannot veto laws or amendments proposed by the people through the initiative process and approved by the citizens.

In recent years, the people of Missouri have used the initiative to enact legislation the General Assembly refused to pass (including two separate increases in the minimum wage, Medicaid expansion, and the “Clean Missouri” ethics reform) and used the veto referendum to repeal an anti-worker, anti-union, so-called “right-to-work” bill that was passed by the General Assembly.

Some of the politicians in the General Assembly are unhappy that the people of Missouri have the power to originate legislation and reject bills they pass. They want to amend the Missouri Constitution to make it more difficult for citizens to call referendums or use the initiative. If they succeed, it will be a serious setback for democracy in Missouri.

When it comes to defending democracy, an adage commonly associated with sports and warfare applies – “The best defense is a good offense.” We need to do more than fight off attempts to roll back democracy. We need to proactively promote democracy. We need to make it easier for the people of Missouri to call veto referendums and use the initiative.

Two Elegantly Simple, Yet Incredibly Powerful Reforms

Petitions for two foundational and transformative pro-democracy amendments to the Missouri Constitution have been filed with the Secretary of State and approved for circulation in Missouri. If we gather the required number of signatures by May 3, 2026, these proposals will be on the ballot in Missouri on November 3, 2026:

The Perfect Democracy Amendment

The Perfect Democracy Amendment will allow citizens of Missouri to sign initiative petitions and veto referendum petitions electronically through Online Account for Politically Active Citizens (or sign paper copies of petitions).

Allowing citizens to sign petitions electronically (online) is not a new or untested idea. Citizens of the European Union have been able to “sign” initiative petitions online since 2011, by submitting Statements of Support. A system in place in Arizona enables citizens to sign petitions for candidates to get on the ballot. A system in place in Boulder, Colorado gives citizens the option of signing initiative petitions online (or signing paper copies).

Learn More About Perfect Democracy Amendments

One argument certain to be put forward against making it easier for citizens of Missouri to call veto referendums and use the initiative is that we will be inundated with too many ballot proposals. The best way to avoid having too many proposals being put on the ballot or having too many veto referendums called is to make the General Assembly a more democratic institution that more accurately reflects the will of the people of Missouri. The best way to do that is to implement a system of Proxies for Citizens.

Within our deeply divided two-party system, with a geographically based system of representation (with legislative and senatorial districts, not the people, represented) there are a lot of people who do not feel represented in the General Assembly. Democrats living in districts represented by Republicans do not feel represented. Republicans living in districts represented by Democrats do not feel represented. And most independent voters and members of other political parties who do not support either of the major parties do not feel represented regardless of whether a Democrat or Republican “represents” their district.

The Proxies for Citizens Amendment

implementing a system of Proxies for Citizens will allow every citizen who is eligible to vote in Missouri to assign a proxy to any one member of the Missouri Senate as their senator and any one member of the Missouri House authorizing them to vote on their behalf. Proxies can be reassigned at any time. Proxies could be assigned and reassigned through Online Accounts for Politically Active Citizens or by submitting a paper form.

Implementing a system of proxies will ensure that every Politically Active Citizen is represented by a senator and a representative who shares their views and values and votes as they would vote themselves if voting directly on issues of concern to them.

Learn More About Proxies for Citizens

Let's Bring Democracy into the 21st Century in Missouri

Provisions requiring the Governor to “establish and maintain systems of Online Accounts for Politically Active Citizens” (and maintain the security of the system and protect the privacy of citizens utilizing the system) are included in both petitions.

Enacting these pro-democracy reforms will be a major victory for democracy, making the ideals expressed in the opening lines of our state’s constitution a glorious reality. They will vest political power in the people, make it easy for the people of Missouri to originate legislation, ensure that government is founded upon the will of the people and instituted for the good of all the people of Missouri. The end result will be that, instead of having to use the initiative to occasionally get some legislation the people want enacted – ALL the legislation supported by a majority of the people of Missouri will be enacted – through the legislature, with proxies, or through a modern, efficient initiative process.

Getting these proposals on the ballot in Missouri in 2026 will –

Our Action Plan - Missouri

An Army of Petitioners

If we gather the required number of signatures by May 3, 2026, these proposals will be on the ballot in Missouri on November 3, 2026. The first order of business is to recruit an army of volunteers to gather the required number of signatures. The more petitioners we have, the better.

A Coalition of Pro-Democracy Organizations

Government by the People was founded in 2005 by a group of mental health professionals who saw a need for more accessible mental health resources in our community.

Missouri - The "Allow Us to Demonstrate State"

Missouri is one of eighteen states where the state constitution can be amended through the initiative process. As the first state to have initiative petitions for a Perfect Democracy Amendment and Proxies for Citizens submitted and approved for circulation, Politically Active Citizens in Missouri have the honor of being in the vanguard of the movement to Make America a Perfect Democracy.

Missouri has long been nicknamed “The Show Me State”. When the people of Missouri enact two extremely powerful pro-democracy reforms and reap the blessings of making Missouri a Perfect Democracy, they will demonstrate the blessings that will flow from uniting in support of Our Ideals and living up to Our Ideals, Missouri will be the “Allow Us to Demonstrate State”.

Our Action Plan is a work in progress. Feedback, input from volunteers, and suggestions for improving Our Action Plan are welcomed and encouraged.

Join the Campaign

All that is necessary to Make Missouri a Perfect Democracy is for enough Politically Active Citizens to do something.

Communication is vital within a broad-based grassroots movement and to make direct democracy as effective as possible in a nation as large as the United States. To facilitate communication, we encourage you to provide your email address, join the “Government by the People” group on Facebook, follow “Government by the People” on X,

A political action committee (Perfect Democracy) has been formed to finance and facilitate the implementation of this plan. The acronym PAC ordinarily stands for "Political Action Committee". Perfect Democracy is developing a different kind of PAC - "Politically Active Citizens". We also encourage you to make a contribution to Perfect Democracy to help fund our campaign.

BE A CHAMPION OF DEMOCRACY – TAKE ACTION - JOIN THE CAMPAIGN

Instructions for Petitioners in Missouri

Please read carefully before circulating petitions to ensure the signatures you collect will be counted.

Qualifications for petitioners: Petition circulators must be at least eighteen years of age. You do not have to be a resident of the state of Missouri to circulate petitions, but you must have the signature pages you turn in notarized in the state of Missouri. You may not circulate petitions if you have been convicted of, found guilty of, or pled guilty to an offense involving forgery.

To facilitate good communication, please make sure to provide your email address. You can use the “Join the Campaign” link at the bottom of each page on this website, use the Contact Form on this website or send an email with the subject line “I am circulating petitions” to: info@governmentbythepeople.org. You may also send an email to this same address if you have any questions or concerns.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING INITIATIVE PETITIONS FOR CIRCULATION

Before you begin gathering signatures, fill in the name of the county for each page in four of the five spaces provided: in the upper right corner; in the two spaces in the paragraph that begins “We, the undersigned registered voters of the state of Missouri….” and in the paragraph just below the signature block.

In the space provided just above the signature block (the Circulator’s Affidavit) – Fill in your name, but not the county in which the page will be notarized. (Wait to make sure where you will have it notarized.) The signature pages must be notarized before you turn them in. They can be notarized anywhere in the state but must be notarized in Missouri.

DO NOT fill in the page number. Pages must be collated by county before they are numbered to avoid duplication of page numbers. Our field organizers will add page numbers prior to submitting all of them to the secretary of state’s office.

DO NOT sign your own petition (sign a page being circulated by someone else). DO NOT sign your name as the affiant (the person obtaining signatures) until you are having the pages notarized.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR GATHERING SIGNATURES ON INITIATIVE PETITIONS

Only registered Missouri voters can sign these initiative petitions. When asking someone to sign the petition, begin by asking if they are a registered voter in the state of Missouri. (If they are not registered, encourage them to register, but do not allow them to sign.) Then ask them for the name of the county where they are registered to vote. Make sure they sign a page for that county. Encourage signers to sign their name exactly as it is on their voter I. D. card and to write legibly. (And to stay within the lines.)

ERRORS: If someone makes an error, the signee should put a single line through the entry and put their initials next to the strikethrough, then sign again below. If you catch the error later, you may draw a single line through the entry. Wait to initial it until you are having the page notarized.

Each petition page may only contain signatures of voters from a single county. If you are obtaining signatures from voters from more than one county, you must have a separate signature page for each county. Signatures of voters who do not reside in the county indicated in the upper right corner will not be counted. You should keep a single copy of both petitions on a separate clipboard for each county.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING COMPETED AND NOTARIZED PETITIONS

Before you turn in petition pages, be sure to have them notarized. You should be able to get them notarized at your bank, without charge. We also have volunteers who are notaries. If necessary, send an email to info@governmentbythepeople.org and ask about notaries in your area (and to get information regarding where to turn in your notarized petitions).

GET COMFORTABLE EXPLAINING OUR PROPOSALS TO POTENTIAL SIGNERS

It is very important for you to be comfortable explaining, and answering questions about, our proposals. The Perfect Democracy Amendment and the Representation for All Amendment involve concepts that may be unfamiliar to some people. Most people will want to understand what is being proposed before they sign our petitions. Videos explaining each of these proposals are posted on the Government by the People website. There is also a great deal of additional information regarding our petitions, including the full and exact text of each petition posted on the Government by the People web site. Please make use of these resources to ensure that you can explain our proposals and answer questions about them. If you have questions that are not answered in the videos or on the web site, please send an email to info@governmentbythepeople.org.

The material on this website is adapted from a soon to be published book: Government by the People: A Citizen's Guide to Making America a Perfect Democracy by Winston Apple.

Permission is granted to share with proper attribution. All Rights are Reserved.

This website is paid for by Perfect Democracy - a 501(c)4 political action committee.

Government by the People

Government by the People

Missouri

Missouri Capitol Building - Jefferson City, Missouri

Referendums and the Initiative

Two Elegantly Simple, Yet Incredibly Powerful Reforms

The Perfect Democracy Amendment

The Proxies for Citizens Amendment

Let's Bring Democracy into the 21st Century in Missouri

Our Action Plan - Missouri

An Army of Petitioners

A Coalition of Pro-Democracy Organizations

Missouri - The "Allow Us to Demonstrate State"

Join the Campaign

All that is necessary to Make Missouri a Perfect Democracy is for enough Politically Active Citizens to do something.

Information for Volunteers - Missouri

Instructions for Petitioners in Missouri

Please read carefully before circulating petitions to ensure the signatures you collect will be counted.

The Perfect Democracy Amendment (Missouri)

Signature Page - Perfect Democracy Amendment

The Proxies for Citizens Amendment (Missouri)

Signature Page - Proxies for Citizens

Number of Signatures Required

Note: For a proposed amendment to the Missouri Constitution to be placed on the ballot, initiative petitions for the proposed amendment must be signed by eight percent of legal voters in at least six of Missouri’s eight congressional districts.