Missouri Amendment 4, Management and Advertisement of Bingo Games Amendment (2018)

Elections in Missouri, 2018

• General election: Nov. 6
• Voter registration deadline: Oct. 10
• Early voting: N/A
• Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6

• Online registration: Yes
• Same-day registration: No
• Voter ID: Non-photo ID required
• Poll times: 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

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Missouri Amendment 4
Election date November 6, 2018
Topic Gambling
Status a Approved
Type Constitutional amendment	Origin State legislature
List of Missouri measuresMissouri Proposition A - AugustMissouri Amendment 1Missouri Amendment 2Missouri Amendment 3Missouri Amendment 4Missouri Proposition BMissouri Proposition CMissouri Proposition DSubmit

Missouri Amendment 4, the Management and Advertisement of Bingo Games Amendment, was on the ballot in Missouri as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 6, 2018. The measure was approved.

A "yes" vote supported this amendment to: lower the time required that someone is a member of an organization to manage a bingo game for that organization from two years to six months and remove the constitutional ban on organizations advertising bingo games.

A "no" vote opposed this amendment to: lower the time required that someone is a member of an organization to manage a bingo game for that organization from two years to six months and remove the constitutional ban on organizations advertising bingo games.

Election results

Missouri Amendment 4
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		1,194,304	52.39%
No		1,085,158	47.61%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Overview

What did this ballot measure change about bingo laws in Missouri?

Amendment 4 removed the constitutional ban on organizations advertising bingo games lowered the time required that someone is a member of an organization to manage a bingo game for that organization from two years to six months.

Prior to 1980, bingo games were illegal in the state of Missouri. The Missouri State Legislature referred to the ballot a constitutional amendment to authorize religious, charitable, fraternal, service, and veteran organizations to conduct games of bingo. On the ballot as Amendment 3, voters approved the measure on November 4, 1980. Amendment 3 required that an organization's bingo game managers be members of the organization for at least two years. The amendment also prohibited organizations from advertising bingo games, except on their own premises. Voters rejected making changes to the amendment in 1990 and 2000.

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title was as follows:

“

Do you want to amend the Missouri constitution to: remove language limiting bingo game advertising that a court ruled unenforceable; and allow a member of a licensed organization conducting bingo games to participate in the management of bingo games after being a member of the organization for six months instead of the current two years? State and local governmental entities estimate no costs or savings from this proposal.

”

Ballot summary

The ballot summary was as follows:

“

A “yes” vote will amend the Missouri Constitution to remove language limiting bingo game advertising that a court ruled was unconstitutional and not enforceable. This amendment would also allow a member of a licensed organization conducting bingo games to participate in the management of bingo games after being a member of the organization for six months. Currently, the constitution requires two years of membership. A “no” vote will not amend the Missouri Constitution regarding bingo games. If passed, this measure will have no impact on taxes.

”

Constitutional changes

See also: Article III, Missouri Constitution

The measure amended Section 39(a) of Article III of the Missouri Constitution. The following underlined text was added and struck-through text was deleted: Note: Hover over the text and scroll to see the full text.

Bingo May Be Authorized--Requirements

The game commonly known as bingo when conducted by religious, charitable, fraternal, veteran or service organizations is not a lottery or gift enterprise within the meaning of subdivision (9) of section 39 of this article if the general assembly authorizes by law that religious, charitable, fraternal, service, or veteran organizations may conduct the game commonly known as bingo, upon the payment of the license fee and the issuance of the license as provided for by law. Any such law shall include the following requirements:

(1) All net receipts over and above the actual cost of conducting the game as set by law shall be used only for charitable, religious or philanthropic purposes, and no receipts shall be used to compensate in any manner any person who works for or is in any way affiliated with the licensed organization;

(2) No license shall be granted to any organization unless it has been in continuous existence for at least five years immediately prior to the application for the license. An organization must have twenty bona fide members to be considered to be in existence;

(3) No person shall participate in the management, conduct or operation of any game unless that person:

(a) Has been a bona fide member of the licensed organization for the two years six months immediately preceding such participation, and volunteers the time and service necessary to conduct the game;

(b) Is not a paid staff person for the licensed organization;

(c) Is not and has never been a professional gambler or gambling promoter;

(d) Has never purchased a tax stamp for wagering or gambling activity;

(e) Has never been convicted of any felony;

(f) Has never been convicted of or pleaded nolo contendere to any illegal gambling activity;

(g) Is of good moral character;

(4) Any person, any officer or director of any firm or corporation, and any partner of any partnership renting or leasing to a licensed organization any equipment or premises for use in a game shall meet all of the qualifications of paragraph (3) except subparagraph (a);

(5) No lease, rental arrangement or purchase arrangement for any equipment or premise for use in a game shall provide for payment in excess of the reasonable market rental rate for such premises and in no case shall any payment based on a percentage of the gross receipts or proceeds be permitted;

(6) No person, firm, partnership or corporation shall receive any remuneration or profit for participating in the management, conduct or operation of the game;

(7) No advertising of any game shall be permitted except on the premises of the licensed organization or through ordinary communications between the organization and its members;

(8) Any other requirement the general assembly finds necessary to insure that any games are conducted solely for the benefit of the eligible organizations and the general community.

Readability score

See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2018

Using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) formulas, Ballotpedia scored the readability of the ballot title and summary for this measure. Readability scores are designed to indicate the reading difficulty of text. The Flesch-Kincaid formulas account for the number of words, syllables, and sentences in a text; they do not account for the difficulty of the ideas in the text. The secretary of state wrote the ballot language for this measure. The FKGL for the ballot title is grade level 12, and the FRE is 38. The word count for the ballot title is 68, and the estimated reading time is 18 seconds. The FKGL for the ballot summary is grade level 12, and the FRE is 28. The word count for the ballot summary is 86, and the estimated reading time is 22 seconds. In 2018, for the 167 statewide measures on the ballot, the average ballot title or question was written at a level appropriate for those with between 19 and 20 years of U.S. formal education (graduate school-level of education), according to the FKGL formula. Read Ballotpedia's entire 2018 ballot language readability report here.

Campaign finance

See also: Campaign finance requirements for Missouri ballot measures

There was one campaign committee, Citizens For Bingo, registered in support of the ballot measure. The committee had raised $5,082 and expended $6,218 (expenditures exceeded contributions due to debt).

There were no committees registered to oppose the ballot measure.

	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Support	$5,050.00	$32.10	$5,082.10	$6,185.99	$6,218.09
Oppose	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Total	$5,050.00	$32.10	$5,082.10	$6,185.99	$6,218.09

Support

The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committees in support of the measure.

Committees in support of Amendment 4
Committee	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Citizens for Bingo	$5,050.00	$32.10	$5,082.10	$6,185.99	$6,218.09
Total	$5,050.00	$32.10	$5,082.10	$6,185.99	$6,218.09

Donors

The following were the top donors to the committee.

Donor	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions

Methodology

To read Ballotpedia's methodology for covering ballot measure campaign finance information, click here.

Background

When was bingo legalized in Missouri?

See also: Missouri Authorization of Bingo, Amendment 3 (1980)

Prior to 1980, bingo games were illegal in the state of Missouri. The Missouri State Legislature referred to the ballot a constitutional amendment to authorize religious, charitable, fraternal, service, and veteran organizations to conduct games of bingo. On the ballot as Amendment 3, voters approved the measure on November 4, 1980.

Amendment 3 required that an organization's bingo game managers be members of the organization for at least two years. The amendment also prohibited organizations from advertising bingo games, except on their own premises.

Had voters addressed this issue before?

In 1990, the state legislature referred Amendment 1, a constitutional amendment, which would have decreased the membership requirement to manage a bingo game from two years to six months. Amendment 1 would have also removed the prohibition on advertising for bingo games. About 53 percent of voters rejected the constitutional amendment.

In 2000, the state legislature referred a constitutional amendment, Amendment 2, to reduce the membership requirement to manage a bingo game from two years to six months. Over 67 percent of voters rejected the constitutional amendment.

How often did Missouri voters approve constitutional amendments?

From 1996 through 2016, the Missouri State Legislature referred 40 constitutional amendments to the ballot. All but one of the amendments were on the ballot in even-numbered years. Voters approved 30 of the referred amendments. The average number of amendments appearing on the ballot during an even-numbered election year was between three and four In 2016, one constitutional amendment appeared on the ballot. The approval rate at the ballot box was 75 percent during the 20-year period from 1996 through 2016. The last time voters rejected a referred amendment was in 2004.

Legislatively-referred constitutional amendments, 1996-2016
Total number	Approved	Percent approved	Defeated	Percent defeated	Even-year average	Even-year median	Annual minimum	Annual maximum
40	30	75.00%	10	25.00%	3.55	3.00	1	8

Path to the ballot

See also: Amending the Missouri Constitution

In Missouri, a constitutional amendment must be passed by a simple majority vote in each house of the Missouri State Legislature during one legislative session.

Rep. Wanda Brown (R-57) introduced the constitutional amendment as House Joint Resolution 59 (HJR 59) on December 5, 2017.

On February 1, 2018, the Missouri House of Representatives voted 143 to four, with 11 members absent, to approve the amendment. There were five vacancies in the state House at the time of the vote.

On May 11, 2018, the Missouri State Senate voted 31 to one, with one senator absent, to pass HJR 69.

Vote in the Missouri House of Representatives February 1, 2018
Requirement: Simple majority vote of all members in each chamber
Number of yes votes required: 80  a
	Yes	No	Not voting
Total	143	4	11
Total percent	90.51%	2.53%	6.96%
Democrat	42	0	4
Republican	101	4	7

Vote in the Missouri State Senate May 11, 2018
Requirement: Simple majority vote of all members in each chamber
Number of yes votes required: 17  a
	Yes	No	Not voting
Total	31	1	1
Total percent	93.94%	3.03%	3.03%
Democrat	8	0	1
Republican	23	1	0

2017 legislative session

Legislators introduced a similar amendment in 2017 as House Joint Resolution 10 (HJR 10). On March 27, 2017, HJR 10 was approved in the Missouri House of Representatives, with 118 members supporting, 32 members opposing, and one member not voting on the bill. However, HJR 10 was not voted on in the Missouri Senate before the legislative session ended on May 12, 2017.

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Missouri

Poll times

In Missouri, all polling places are open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Central Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration requirements

Check your voter registration status here.

To vote in Missouri, one must be 18 years old, a United States citizen, and Missouri resident. An applicant may print an application, pick one up from a county clerk's office, or request that an application be mailed. The completed application must be returned by mail. All returned applications must be postmarked at least 27 days prior to Election Day in order to be processed. An applicant may also register to vote online.

Automatic registration

Missouri does not practice automatic voter registration.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Missouri has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

Missouri does not allow same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

To register to vote in Missouri, you must be a resident of the state. State law does not specify the length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible. Voters may file change-of-address forms after the registration deadline, up to and including Election Day, provided that they can present photo identification upon doing so.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Missouri does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. One state, Ohio, requires proof of citizenship only when registering to vote at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles facility. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The Missouri Secretary of State's office allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Missouri requires voters to present photo identification while voting.

The following were accepted forms of identification as of April 2023. Click here for the Missouri Secretary of State's page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.

Voters can present the following forms of information:

• A nonexpired Missouri driver or non-driver license;
• A nonexpired military ID, including a veteran’s ID card;
• A nonexpired United States passport; or
• Another photo ID issued by the United States or the state of Missouri which is either not expired or expired after the date of the most recent general election.

If a voter does not have an ID, he or she can obtain one for free by filling out this form.

State profile

Demographic data for Missouri
	Missouri	U.S.
Total population:	6,076,204	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	68,742	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	82.6%	73.6%
Black/African American:	11.5%	12.6%
Asian:	1.8%	5.1%
Native American:	0.4%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0.1%	0.2%
Two or more:	2.4%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	3.9%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	88.4%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	27.1%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$48,173	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	18.2%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Missouri. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Missouri

Missouri voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

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See also

2018 measures

• 2018 ballot measures
• Gambling on the ballot

Missouri

• Missouri ballot measures
• Missouri ballot measure laws

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