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Missouri
Missouri Capitol Building - Jefferson City, Missouri
There is a name for the type of government where “all political power is vested in and derived from the people”, founded upon the will of the people, and “instituted for the good of the whole” - it’s called democracy.
In his Second Treatise of Government, John Locke described the conditions that put the form of a perfect democracy in place:
“The majority, having the whole power of the community naturally in them, may employ all that power in making laws for the community, and executing those laws by officers of their own appointing; and then the form of the government is a perfect democracy.”
Missouri has the form of a perfect democracy in place thanks to an amendment to the Missouri Constitution that was enacted in 1908, which gave the people of the state 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 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.
Petitions for two elegantly simple, yet incredibly powerful, pro-democracy amendments to the Missouri Constitution have been filed with the Secretary of State 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).
The Representation for All Amendment (Proxies for Citizens)
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 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.
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 Representation for All Amendment 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 for Citizens 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.
Let's Bring Democracy into the 21st Century in Missouri
Enacting both of 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.
Getting these proposals on the ballot in Missouri in 2026 will not be easy, but it is the task at hand. Victory will put us in a position to -
Please sign up to help circulate these petitions.
Petitions for The Perfect Democracy Amendment and The Representation for All Amendment have been filed with the Secretary of State. They should be approved for circulation by the end of the year. We will begin gathering signatures in January of 2025.
If we gather the required number of signatures by May 3, 2026, that proposal will be on the ballot in Missouri on November 3, 2026.
If you would like to help circulate these petitions, please provide your email address in the space provided below. A Volunteer Coordinator will contact you.
Here is the full text of each proposed amendment:
The Representation for All Amendment (Missouri)
This is the full, exact text of The Proxies for Citizens Amendment being proposed in Missouri.
Text that is being added is underlined. Text that is being deleted is in [brackets].
Number of Signatures Required
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 number of signatures required in each congressional district in the table (above) are for petitions to be on the ballot in 2024. The new numbers for 2026 petitions have not yet been posted by the Secretary of State but will be approximately 1.7% lower on average (because there were fewer votes cast for governor in 2024 than in 2020). This table will be updated as soon as the new numbers are available.
A new kind of PAC - Politically Active Citizens
Communication is vital in a broad-based grassroots movement and in making direct democracy as effective as possible in a nation as large as the United States. The acronym PAC ordinarily stands for "Political Action Committee" We are developing a different kind of PAC - "Politically Active Citizens". If you would like to be part of our grassroots movement, please provide your email address:
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.
Content is Copyright 2024 Gary Winston Apple, unless otherwise noted..
Permission is granted to share with proper attribution. All Rights Reserved.
This website was created by, is maintained by, and paid for by Winston Apple,
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