Policy summit focuses on protecting initiative process

By Olivia Maillet, Missouri News Network

JEFFERSON CITY — Clear. Unbiased. Fair. Accurate.
These words drove the conversation at the Respect MO Voters Coalition Policy Summit on Sunday, where voters from around Missouri gathered to decide on an initiative seeking to ban politician interference in the initiative and referendum process.
“We’ve reached such a dire, low point in our democracy that our elected officials are not even respecting our most fundamental freedom,” said Benjamin Singer, CEO of Show Me Integrity and co-founder of the Respect Voters Coalition. “Missouri is one of only 11 states with no protections in place for when we pass something by initiative.”
The group’s proposed initiative would cover four main concerns: banning the legislature from changing past initiatives, banning the legislature from trying to again pass laws rejected by citizens, prohibiting politicians from attacking citizens’ ability to use the initiative process and banning the use of manipulating language on ballots to mislead voters and emerging issues. For example, politicians are trying to limit funding to initiative campaigns with Senate Bill 152.
This summit was the climax of Respect MO Voters Coalition’s campaign around the state to 25 town halls, where the group gathered information through a survey to incorporate input from Missourians.
In order for an initiative amending the state constitution to be put on the 2026 ballot, it requires a petition signed by 8% of voters in two-thirds of Missouri’s congressional districts.
“I got involved because I have noticed in the past that initiatives get overturned, and I get quite frustrated,” Columbia resident Mary Ellen Buddemeyer said. “I went to the town hall meeting and filled out the volunteer survey. Except for a few people, it is all volunteers. They are supportive of people who maybe haven’t been as active in the past or can only devote a small amount of time.”
The Respect MO Voters Coalition’s current policy plans require that the legislature not change or repeal anything passed by a citizen initiative, unless it receives at least 80% support in both chambers. This ensures bipartisan support in both chambers, as currently the Missouri House of Representatives has a 68% Republican majority and the Missouri Senate has a 70% Republican majority.
The coalition also wants to create a bipartisan citizen commission to draft ballot titles, rather than politicians doing so and to impose stricter criteria for language.
“I want you to know, obviously, I am a partisan,” said Yvonne Reeves Chong, vice chair of the Missouri Democratic Party. “But before that, I am a citizen.”
The Respect MO Voters Coalition filed three initiatives with the secretary of state to amend the state constitution to protect the citizen initiative process in February. Singer said these initiatives were backups in case the initiative filed after the summit was not approved.
Because they filed an initiative and got the ballot language early in their feedback-gathering process, the coalition was able to better poll voters.
According to polls led by the Respect MO Voters Coalition, most voters agreed with the majority of the ballot language the secretary of state wrote for the initiatives filed back in February.
However, Singer said voters were hesitant about creating a bipartisan citizen commission to draft ballot titles — possibly due to the four-page description of the committee in the initiative writing.
State government officials also estimate that the initiative, because of the creation of a citizen commission, would cost $31,000 every other fiscal year starting in 2027.
“We know people are going to drag this through the mud,” Singer said. “We know politicians, the secretary of state, the legislators, who want power, are going to attack this with everything they’ve got. We’re coming for their power to overturn the will of the people.”