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Capitol Building - Jefferson City, Missouri
A government where “all political power is vested in and derived from the people” is a democracy. And when the acts of a government that “originates from the people” and is “founded upon their will only” are “instituted solely for the good of the whole” a government is a Perfect Democracy.
The present government of the state of Missouri falls far short of these ideals, but thanks to an amendment to the Missouri Constitution, that was enacted in 1908, we see occasional glimpses of a Perfect Democracy in Missouri. That amendment gave the people of Missouri 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”. [Missouri Constitution, Article III, Section 49.] Referendums vest political power in the people. The initiative gives the people the power to originate legislation.
In a Perfect Democracy, proposals for legislation should be put on the ballot through the initiative whenever it appears likely that a legislative body has failed to enact legislation that has the support of a majority of the citizens and veto referendums should be called whenever it appears that a legislative body has enacted legislation that does not have the support of a majority of the citizens.
Thanks to the efforts of an earlier generation of Missourians, we the people of the state of Missouri, already have all the power we need to make Missouri a Perfect Democracy by enacting -
The Perfect Democracy Amendment
The Perfect Democracy Amendment will make it easier for the people of Missouri to use the initiative and call veto referendums by allowing citizens to sign petitions electronically (online).
When we enact this amendment, “all political power” will truly be “vested in and derived from the people”
The Personal Representation Amendment
The Personal Representation Amendment will allow every citizen who is eligible to vote in Missouri to assign a proxy to any one member of the Missouri Senate and any one member of the Missouri House, authorizing them to vote on their behalf, and give every senator and representative a number of votes equal to the number of proxies they have been assigned, plus one for themselves. Proxies can be reassigned at any time through online accounts or by submitting a paper form. That will empower Politically Active Citizens to vote (indirectly) when votes are taken in the General Assembly.
Implementing a system of Proxies for Citizens will shift power to the people indirectly by shifting power within the General Assembly to the members who best reflect the will of the people.
Minor Changes with Major Benefits
In a survey conducted in 2021, 85% of Americans agreed that we need to completely reform or make major changes to our political system. Of course, change also makes some people nervous. Personal Representation and Perfect Democracy Amendments are relatively minor changes with major benefits.
Implementing a system of Personal Representation will instantly transform the General Assembly into a truly democratic institution that accurately reflects the will of the people of Missouri.
Enacting Perfect Democracy Amendments will give the people of Missouri the ultimate power to approve or reject legislation, whether proposed by the General Assembly or through the initiative.
Getting these reforms enacted will be a major victory for democracy. They will make the ideals expressed in the opening lines of Missouri Constitution a glorious reality.
Initiative petitions for these proposed reforms have been approved for circulation. 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.
All that is necessary to Make Missouri a Perfect Democracy is for enough Politically Active Citizens to sign two initiative petitions and vote "yes" on those two reforms.
If these proposals are on the ballot they will be approved by voters. And when the people of Missouri approve these amendments to the Missouri Constitution, we will make the vision of a Perfect Democracy expressed in the opening lines of our Constitution a glorious reality. We will make history.
Calls to Action
There are lots of ways you can help:
Help us build our data base of pro-democracy voters and activists.
Communication and coordination are vital within a grassroots movement. We need to be able to communicate with each other (and with voters) and coordinate our efforts, without relying on corporate-owned mainstream media and social media. To that end, we are compiling a data base of contact information for pro-democracy activists and voters.
Please provide your email address and/or cell phone number and the address at which you are registered to vote.
To help make our campaign too big to fail, encourage your friends and family members and other Politically Active Citizens to provide their contact information as well. The information in our data base will not be sold or shared with any organization that is not part of our pro-democracy coalition. We will not send out emails or text messages soliciting financial contributions. We will use the information in our data base to determine when and where to host signing events and to share information about our progress with supporters.
We also encourage you to subscribe to our YouTube channel, join the “Government by the People” group on Facebook, and follow “Government by the People” on X. Links are available at the bottom of each page on this website.
Sign the Initiative Petitions
Petitions for these proposed reforms have been approved for circulation. 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. If approved by voters, these amendments to the Missouri Constitution will make the vision of democracy expressed in the opening lines of our Constitution a glorious reality.
Collect Signatures
In the end, the success of our initiative campaign requires collecting nearly 200,000 signatures. The more petitioners we have, the better. The sooner you start collecting signatures, the better.
Spread the Word
Share our videos, posts, and links to this website with as many people as possible.
.Host or help plan events.
We encourage politically active citizens and pro-democracy organizations to host “signing parties” around the state, as part of a non-stop, non-partisan, political party.
Join our volunteer staff.
If you have special skills and experience that will be helpful, please consider joining our volunteer staff.
A Coalition of Pro-Democracy Organizations
Encourage any political organizations you are a part of to join the coalition of pro-democracy organizations working to get our proposals on the ballot.
We are hoping to get college students, workers and labor unions, and churches involved in our campaign.
Colleges and Universities: There are 345,770 students enrolled in colleges and universities in Missouri. If half of all students were to sign our initiative petitions, we would have enough signatures to get our proposals on the ballot.
Labor Unions: There are approximately a quarter of a million union workers in Missouri. If most union workers in Missouri sign our initiative petitions, we would have enough signatures to get our proposals on the ballot.
Churches: There is a spiritual dimension to democracy. One of the self-evident Truths expressed in the Declaration of Independence is that we are all endowed by our Creator with equal and natural rights to “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” We encourage churches and religious groups that support that self-evident Truth to join our campaign.
Be a "Champion of Democracy" - Join Our Campaign
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.
Instructions for Petitioners in Missouri
Our website has been updated since this video was produced. Some of the links are different, but the video contains the same information as printed below.
Election officials around the state may reject signatures for a variety of reasons. We recommend taking advantage of both formats: watch the video and read the instructions carefully before circulating petitions to ensure the signatures you collect will be counted.
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.
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.
The Full and Exact Text of the Perfect Democracy Amendment:
Text being added is underlined. [Text being deleted is in brackets].
Be it resolved by the people of the state of Missouri that the Constitution be amended:
Article III of the Constitution is revised by amending Section 50 to read as follows:
Section 50. Initiative petitions proposing amendments to the constitution shall [be] have paper copiessigned by, or electronic statements of support submitted by, eight percent of the legal voters in each of two-thirds of the congressional districts in the state of Missouri, and petitions proposing laws shall [be] have paper copies signed by, or electronic statements of support submitted by, five percent of such voters. The governor shall facilitate electronic filing of statements of support by establishing and maintaining a system of Online Accounts for Politically Active Citizens. The governor shall be responsible for ensuring the security of that system and ensuring the privacy of citizens utilizing that system. The secretary of state shall create a suitable form for electronic statements of support and make that form available to citizens. Every such petition or statement of support shall be filed with the secretary of state or be submitted electronically not less than six months before the election and shall contain an enacting clause and the full text of the measure. Petitions for constitutional amendments shall not contain more than one amended and revised article of this constitution, or one new article which shall not contain more than one subject and matters properly connected therewith, and the enacting clause thereof shall be “Be it resolved by the people of the state of Missouri that the Constitution be amended:”. Petitions for laws shall contain not more than one subject which shall be expressed clearly in the title, and the enacting clause thereof shall be “Be it enacted by the people of the state of Missouri:”.
The Full and Exact Text of the Personal Representation Amendment:
Text being added is underlined. [Text being deleted is in brackets].
Be it resolved by the people of the state of Missouri that the Constitution be amended:
Article III of the Constitution is revised by amending Sections 1 and 22 to read as follows:
Section 1. (a) The legislative power shall be vested in a senate and house of representatives to be styled “The General Assembly of the State of Missouri.”
(b) To ensure that all political power in Missouri is vested in and derived from the people and founded upon the will of the people only, from and after January 2, 2027, each citizen of Missouri who is eligible to vote shall be able to assign one proxy to any member of the Missouri senate, authorizing that senator to cast votes on their behalf, and one proxy to any member of the Missouri house of representatives, authorizing that representative to cast votes on their behalf. Members of the General Assembly shall cast a number of votes equal to the number of proxies they hold, plus one vote for themselves, on all matters that are voted on in their respective houses, including votes taken in committees and on procedural matters.
(c) Citizens of Missouri may assign their proxies either electronically, through a system of Online Accounts for Politically Active Citizens, or by means of a written (paper) proxy. Citizens may reassign a proxy at any time.
(d) The governor shall establish and maintain a system of Online Accounts for Politically Active Citizens to facilitate the assigning and reassigning of proxies electronically. The governor shall be responsible for ensuring the security of that system and for ensuring the privacy of citizens utilizing the system.
(e) On or before January 2, 2027, the Secretary of State shall create and make available to citizens of Missouri, both electronic and paper versions of a proxy form, a form for citizens to use to reassign their proxies, and a form for citizens to submit to notify the secretary of state if they move out of the state of Missouri or are no longer eligible to vote. When so notified, the Secretary of State shall void their proxies. The Secretary of State shall be responsible for promptly voiding the proxies of citizens who are no longer eligible to vote in Missouri due to being incarcerated or deceased. The Secretary of State shall be responsible for notifying citizens, in the manner in which they have indicated they prefer to be notified, when a legislator to whom they have assigned a proxy vacates her or his office for any reason.
(f) The General Assembly shall pass legislation providing penalties for forging or falsifying proxies, for offering money, or any other thing of value, to influence a citizen with regard to the assignment of their proxies, and for accepting money, or any other thing of value, in exchange for the assignment of a proxy.
Section 22. Every bill shall be referred to a committee of the house in which it is pending.
After it has been referred to a committee, [one-third of] the elected members of the respective houses by a vote of one-third or more shall have power to relieve a committee of further consideration of a bill and place it on the calendar for consideration.
Each committee shall keep such record of its proceedings as is required by rule of the respective houses and this record and the recorded vote of the members of the committee shall be filed with all reports on bills.
Each house of the general assembly may provide by rule for such committees of that house as it deems necessary to meet to consider bills or to perform any other necessary legislative function during the interim between the session ending on the thirtieth day of May and the session commencing on the first Wednesday after the first Monday of January.
The “Allow Us to Demonstrate State”
Missouri is one of seventeen 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”.
Democracy and the Internet
Provisions requiring the Governor to “establish and maintain a system 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. Provisions giving citizens the options of signing printed copies of petitions and assigning and reassigning proxies by submitting a printed form are also included in the text of both petitions.
Recent History of Referendums and the Initiative in Missouri
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.
The track record of direct democracy in Missouri offers solid proof that government is far more likely to be “instituted solely for the good of the whole” when the people are allowed to vote directly on issues of concern.
The problem with referendums and the initiative in Missouri is that the process of putting a proposal on the ballot or calling a veto referendum is far more difficult than it should be – requiring petitioners to gather hundreds of thousands of signatures. And petitioners must gather far more than the number required because election officials routinely reject a significant number of signatures for a variety of reasons, with no requirement that they prove the signatures were not valid.
There are also enough enemies of democracy in the General Assembly that they routinely succeed in repealing or undermining the legislation enacted by the people of Missouri. Unhappy that the people of Missouri have had any success at all in passing legislation without their approval or involvement, the enemies of democracy in the General Assembly are now proposing amendments to the Missouri Constitution that would make it even more difficult for the people of Missouri to use the initiative. Some of these anti-democracy proposals are almost certain to be on the ballot in Missouri in 2026. 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 to use the initiative and call veto referendums.
Volunteer Resources
On the "Volunteer Resources" page on this website you will find downloadable PDFs of:
- A PDF of both petitions.
- A PDF of the signature page for both ballot proposals.
- A PDF of an overview of both proposals (to be taped to the back side of a legal size clipboard when circulating petitions).
- PDFs of flyers, posters, et cetera.
Join the Campaign to Make Missouri a Perfect Democracy
Communication is vital within a broad-based grassroots movement. We are compiling a data base of pro-democracy activists and voters. To join the campaign to make Missouri a Perfect Democracy, please provide your email address. Your information will not be sold or shared. You will not receive emails or text messages soliciting financial contributions.
The material on this website is adapted from a soon to be published book: Government by the People: Perfecting Democracy in the 21st Century by Winston Apple.
Content is Copyright 2026 Gary Winston Apple, unless otherwise noted.
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.