Paving Over the Power of the People
A portion of the existing ballot initiative process. Graphic taken from the Missouri Secretary of State website.
In 1908 Missourians voted to approve an amendment to our constitution giving the citizens of our state the power to propose laws and constitutional amendments ourselves. This makes Missouri one of only eighteen states where the citizens have the power to act when politicians we elect decide not to work with the people’s best interests in mind. Now in 2026, several members of the Missouri legislature are seeking to bring the processes we have to make our voice heard to a grinding halt.
This August 4th Missourians will be voting on Amendment 4, which will bring major changes to the threshold requirements for citizen petitions that make it to the ballot in order to become law. The current system requires a simple statewide majority for citizen ballot initiatives to pass, with no restrictions involving district lines. However, the proposed changes would alter the requirements to be a majority across all eight congressional districts in Missouri. In a review of certified returns by the Missouri Independent, these requirements would mean that every citizen petition initiative that Missourians have voted for since 2016 would not have passed. Such as a bar on expanded sales taxes, minimum wage increases and the right to sick leave, and a constitutional right to reproductive freedom.
What do these changes mean for the renters of Springfield and the Springfield Tenant Union?
Throughout Missouri the majority of renters live in densely populated suburban or metropolitan areas such as Springfield, St. Louis, or Kansas City. Our current voter map contains eight Congressional Districts. These three cities span six of them, while the remaining two span much more rural areas. Rural districts are much less likely to vote to pass protections for renters because renters make up far less of the demographics of those areas. Limiting the ability for grassroots organizations to push for effective policies in our most populated areas.
As a Union, the majority of major legislation STUN aims to pass will be done through petition initiatives. According to the Missouri Census Data Center, as of 2018 the U.S. Census estimates that 70% of Missourians live in urban or metropolitan areas. These changes will make it where people who live outside of these regions in more rural areas would have the deciding voice on issues for the majority of the state.
To use an immediate example; this year a citizen petition called the “Restoring Local Freedom Amendment” was green-lit for signature collection. This proposed amendment would place limits and restrictions on the rent and fees landlords can charge in privately owned single-family and multi-unit rental properties. This will pave the way for the possibility of rent control for Missouri, expanded tenants rights, and renter protections in the future. However, under the new requirements in Amendment 4, it would take as few as 5% of Missouri voters to make a resolution fail, even if the majority of Missourians supported the resolution.
As this amendment only affects citizen-led petition initiatives and not those proposed by legislators, it would make it so only those with money to influence our politicians would have the power. Making it nearly impossible for grassroots organizations such as STUN to pass effective changes when the people feel their voice isn’t being heard.
This August 4th get out and VOTE NO on Amendment 4. Protect the Missouri’s right to petition and show our legislators that the voice of the people will not be ignored in our state.