Missouri Constitutional Convention Question (2022)

Missouri Constitutional Convention Question
Election date November 8, 2022
Topic Constitutional conventions
Status d Defeated
Type Automatic referral	Origin Dictated by law

The Missouri Constitutional Convention Question was on ballot in Missouri as an automatic ballot referral on November 8, 2022. The measure was defeated.

A "yes" vote supported holding a state constitutional convention.

A "no" vote opposed holding a state constitutional convention.

Election results

Missouri Question
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		633,228	32.25%
No		1,330,427	67.75%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Overview

How did the question get on the ballot?

See also: Path to the ballot

In Missouri, a state constitutional convention question is provided to voters every 20 years after the prior question. Missourians addressed a constitutional convention question in 2002. Voters rejected the question by a margin of 65.45% to 34.55%.

A constitutional convention consists of elected delegates that propose changes to the state's constitution. Any proposed changes, including a rewritten constitution, must be approved by voters.

Do other states vote on constitutional convention questions?

See also: State constitutional conventions

As of 2022, 44 states had rules that govern how, in their state, a constitutional convention can be called. In 2022, voters in Missouri, New Hampshire, and Alaska decided on three constitutional convention questions that were automatically referred to the ballot.

Text of measure

Ballot title

The official ballot title was as follows:

“

Shall there be a convention to revise and amend the constitution?

”

Ballot summary

The official ballot summary was as follows:

“

A “yes” vote will require the governor to call an election of delegates to serve at a convention for the purpose of revising or amending the Missouri Constitution. Any revisions or amendments will then be put to a vote of the people for their consideration. A “no” vote will mean no constitutional convention will be held. If passed, this measure will have no impact on taxes.

”

Readability score

See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2022

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 constitution wrote the ballot language for this measure.

The FKGL for the ballot title is grade level 8, and the FRE is 57. The word count for the ballot title is 11.

The FKGL for the ballot summary is grade level 9, and the FRE is 57. The word count for the ballot summary is 66.

Support

Say Yes to Democracy led the campaign in support of the constitutional convention question.

Arguments

• Curtis D. Vaughn, U.S. Senate candidate: "Like the initiative petition process, voters have final say, not governor nor legislature. In fact, this is so democratic, and safeguarded to be of, by, for Missourians, that both “parties” agree for once."
• Dr. Robynn Kuhlmann, professor at the University of Central Missouri: "Due to the clunkiness of the constitution itself, it is outdated. There are a variety of amendments that no longer apply, provisions that no longer apply either … there is some streamlining to do to update the constitution."
• Bob Priddy, former news director for Missourinet and former president of the State Historical Society Board of Trustees: Priddy argued that the state constitution needed a revision. He said, "In the last 20 years, there has been a lot of stuff added to the constitution that shouldn’t be there.”

Opposition

If you are aware of any opponents or opposing arguments, please send an email with a link to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Arguments

• Ken Winn, former state archivist: "A constitutional convention right in the middle of a culture war would bring out ideologues of all stripes, and you would have the fiercest political strife. Everybody with an agenda would be trying to write their ideas into the constitution."

Campaign finance

See also: Campaign finance requirements for Missouri ballot measures

If you are aware of a committee that was registered to support or oppose this question, please email editor@ballotpedia.org.

	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Support	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Oppose	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Total	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00

Media editorials

See also: 2022 ballot measure media endorsements

Support

You can share campaign information or arguments, along with source links for this information, at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Opposition

• St. Louis Post-Dispatch Editorial Board: "As complex and often convoluted the Missouri Constitution might be, current political circumstances wouldn’t bode well for the outcome of a constitutional convention, which would have a tendency to attract wackos and weirdos at a time when the state already has a bumper crop of them. There is no groundswell of support for this question, which by law must appear on the ballot every 20 years."
• St. Joseph News-Press Editorial Board: "If approved, a constitutional convention question would allow the governor to call delegates to propose revising or amending the Missouri Constitution. Thank you, but no. It’s hard to imagine this not making things worse."
• The Kansas City Star Editorial Board: "An unbounded convention could wreak havoc on important parts of the state constitution, then present it to voters as an up-or-down proposal. The Missouri Constitution is a mess, but wholesale changes are too risky. Just vote no."

Background

Past votes on Missouri Constitutional Convention Questions

Since 1962, Missourians have been asked every twenty years if they would like to convene a constitutional convention to revise the constitution; each time, a majority of the state's voters have rejected the proposal. In 1962, the question was defeated by a margin of 63.7% to 36.3%. In 1982, the question was defeated 69.5% to 30.5%. In 2002, the question was defeated by a margin of 65.5% to 34.5%.

State constitutional conventions

See also: State constitutional conventions

A state constitutional convention is a gathering of elected delegates who propose revisions and amendments to a state constitution. As of 2021, 233 constitutional conventions to deliberate on state-level constitutions had been held in the United States.

As of 2022, 44 states had rules that govern how, in their state, a constitutional convention can be called. The last time voters approved a constitutional convention question was in 1996 in Hawaii.

States that have scheduled automatic ballot referrals for constitutional convention questions include Alaska (2022), Missouri (2022), New Hampshire (2022), Rhode Island (2024), Michigan (2026), Connecticut (2028), Hawaii (2028), Illinois (2028), Iowa (2030), Maryland (2030), Montana (2030), Alaska (2032), New Hampshire (2032), and Ohio (2032).

History of the Missouri Constitution

See also: Missouri Constitution

The current (and fourth) Missouri Constitution was adopted in 1945. In 1942, under an older version of the Missouri Constitution, voters were asked about having a constitutional convention and said 'Yes.' It was that convention that led to the Missouri Constitution of 1945, the state's current constitution. The current constitution has been amended 119 times.

Constitutional convention questions on the ballot in 2022

In 2022, voters in Missouri, New Hampshire, and Alaska decided on three constitutional convention questions that were automatically referred to the ballot.

Path to the ballot

See also: State constitutional conventions

In Missouri, a state constitutional convention question is provided to voters every 20 years after the prior question. Missourians addressed a constitutional convention question in 2002. Voters rejected the question by a margin of 65.45% to 34.55%.

Section 3(a) of Article XII of the Missouri Constitution governs the constitutional convention question. The following is Section 3(a) of Article XII:

Note: Hover over the text and scroll to see the full text.

Referendum on Constitutional Convention-—Qualifications of Delegates Selection of Nominees for District Delegates and Delegates-at-Large—Election Procedure

At the general election on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November 1962, and every twenty years thereafter, the secretary of state shall, and at any general or special election the general assembly by law may, submit to the electors of the state the question “Shall there be a convention to revise and amend the constitution?” The question shall be submitted on a separate ballot without party designation, and if a majority of the votes cast thereon is for the affirmative, the governor shall call an election of delegates to the convention on a day not less than three nor more than six months after the election on the question. At the election the electors of the state shall elect fifteen delegates-at-large and the electors of each state senatorial district shall elect two delegates. Each delegate shall possess the qualifications of a senator; and no person holding any other office of trust or profit (officers of the organized militia, school directors, justices of the peace and notaries public excepted) shall be eligible to be elected a delegate. To secure representation from different political parties in each senatorial district, in the manner prescribed by its senatorial district committee each political party shall nominate but one candidate for delegate from each senatorial district, the certificate of nomination shall be filed in the office of the secretary of state at least thirty days before the election, each candidate shall be voted for on a separate ballot bearing the party designation, each elector shall vote for but one of the candidates, and the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes in each senatorial district shall be elected. Candidates for delegates-at-large shall be nominated by nominating petitions only, which shall be signed by electors of the state equal to five percent of the legal voters in the senatorial district in which the candidate resides until otherwise provided by law, and shall be verified as provided by law for initiative petitions, and filed in the office of the secretary of state at least thirty days before the election. All such candidates shall be voted for on a separate ballot without party designation, and the fifteen receiving the highest number of votes shall be elected. Not less than fifteen days before the election, the secretary of state shall certify to the county clerk of the county the name of each person nominated for the office of delegate from the senatorial district in which the county, or any part of it, is included, and the names of all persons nominated for delegates-at-large.

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Missouri

Click "Show" to learn more about voter registration, identification requirements, and poll times in Missouri.

How to cast a vote 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 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. 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.

See also

2022 measures

• 2022 ballot measures
• Constitutional conventions on the ballot
• State constitutional conventions

Missouri

• Missouri ballot measures
• Missouri ballot measure laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls