Missouri Voters to Decide on Amendment 6 Expanding Citizen-Led Legislation Protections

Columbia Jefferson City, MO, September 27, 2026 —

Missouri voters are set to decide on Amendment 6, a measure scheduled for the November ballot that proposes to establish the citizen initiative petition and referendum process as a fundamental right within the state’s constitution. The proposed amendment is being championed by a group known as Respect Missouri Voters.

Amendment 6 includes two primary provisions. Firstly, it seeks to enshrine the established methods for citizens to propose and vote on legislation, known as the initiative petition and referendum process, as a core right within the Missouri Constitution. This would provide a constitutional safeguard for these participatory democratic tools.

Secondly, the amendment introduces significant restrictions on the Missouri General Assembly’s power to modify or overturn laws that have been enacted through the citizen initiative process. Under the proposed amendment, the legislature would require an 80% supermajority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate to alter or repeal such laws. This stipulation aims to make it substantially more difficult for legislative bodies to undo measures approved by voters via the initiative process.

The details of the specific legislative chambers and the exact timeline for when these provisions would take effect if passed were not detailed in the provided summary. The initiative petition and referendum process allows organized groups of citizens to propose new laws or constitutional amendments, or to challenge laws passed by the legislature, by gathering a required number of signatures on a petition. If successful, these measures are then typically put before the voters for approval.

Story summarized from the original created by Alison Patton on abc17news.com, see more information here.

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