Amendment 6: Missourians to vote on whether to raise threshold for lawmakers to change voter-approved laws

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The future of direct democracy is on the ballot in Missouri.

Missouri voters will decide in November whether to make it harder for state lawmakers to change laws passed through the initiative petition process. Amendment 6 would require approval from 80% or more of both the Missouri House and Senate to change any law passed by voters through initiative petition.

The ballot question will read: “Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to:

expand the initiative and referendum petition process by making it a fundamental right;

• allow courts to revise ballot summaries through lawsuits;
• prohibit the legislature from weakening initiative or referendum powers;
• prohibit the legislature from changing or repealing laws enacted through the initiative process, or passing laws similar to those rejected by referendum, without approval from at least 80% of both chambers; and
• preserve existing majority vote and signature requirements for initiative and referendum petitions?

State and local governmental entities estimate no costs or savings.”

Respect Missouri Voters is the political group behind Amendment 6. “Yes on 6” spokesperson Jack Cardetti said Amendment 6 was created after lawmakers changed voter-approved policies, including the repeal of paid sick leave that voters approved in 2024.

“The ballot initiative process really is a check and balance against politicians to make sure they’re not ignoring the will of the people,” Cardetti said. “We’ve seen a number of ways that politicians have tried to make citizen-led initiatives more difficult.”

Amendment 6 was almost not on the baloot. Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected the petition for Amendment 6, saying it violated the single subject clause. The Missouri Supreme Court overruled Hoskins and placed the measure on the November ballot.

“Unfortunately, there’s some out-of-state sugar daddies from the East Coast,” Hoskins said. “They want to change Missouri law; they want to New-York-City the Show-Me State, and I’m firmly against that.”

A SLU/YouGov poll released this month found 48% of likely Missouri voters approved of Amendment 6, while 32% were not sure. Pollster Steven Rogers, PhD, said the results leave room for voter education.

“Across every subgroup we looked at -- men, women, Republicans, Democrats -- at least 25% of each subgroup was not sure,” Rogers said. “And so, with all these not sure voters, a lot of education can happen.”

Respect Missouri Voters has raised nearly $1 million, according to financial reports, and began running ads this week on TV and streaming. Missouri voters will also see ballot questions this fall on congressional districts, abortion, establishing a public endowment and the right to elect county sheriffs.