Missourians to vote on amendments to state constitution Nov. 8

When Missouri voters go to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 8, they will vote on who will represent the state of Missouri in both houses of Congress and who will be state auditor, as well as who will hold a host of local offices and decide local issues, according to where they live. However, they will also decide whether four proposed amendments to the Missouri State Constitution should be enacted. These constitutional amendments regard state investments, legalizing marijuana for recreational use in the state, funding for police and the creation of the Missouri Department of the National Guard.

Amendment One
According to the language on the ballot, Amendment One will “allow the General Assembly to override the current constitutional restrictions of state investments by the state treasurer; and allow state investments in municipal securities possessing one of the top five highest long term ratings or the highest short term rating.”
The ballot language further goes on to state that both state and local governments are expected to gain substantial interest revenue.
“State governmental entities estimate no costs and increased interest revenue of $2 million per year,” the ballot language stated. “Local governmental entities estimate no costs and increased interest revenue of at least $34,000 per year.”
If passed, Amendment One would amend Section 15, Article Four of the state constitution so that investments made by the state treasurer would mature within seven years instead of five.
State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick has spoken out in favor of the amendment.
There has been no visible opposition to the amendment.

Amendment Three
Amendment Three would legalize marijuana in Missouri. The text of the amendment states that it would “remove state prohibitions on purchasing, possessing, consuming, using, delivering, manufacturing, and selling marijuana for personal use for adults over the age of twenty-one.” It would also “require a registration card for personal cultivation with prescribed limits, allow persons with certain marijuana-related non-violent offenses to petition for release from incarceration or parole and probation and have (their)records expunged, (and) establish a lottery selection process to award licenses and certificates.”
The amendment would also allow the state to “issue equally distributed licenses to each congressional district and impose a six-percent tax on the retail price of marijuana to benefit various programs.”
According to the ballot language, both the state and local governments would experience significant costs but would also see a major return on their investments.
“State governmental entities estimate initial costs of $3.1 million,” it read, “initial revenues of at least $7.9 million, annual costs of $5.5 million, and annual revenues of at least $40.8 million. Local governments are estimated to have annual costs of at least $35,000 and annual revenues of at least $13.8 million.”
Legal Missouri 2023 is the organization leading the campaign for the amendment, and it has support from 25 other organizations, including the AFL-CIO and SEIU MO/KS State Council labor unions, the Missouri Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the ACLU of Missouri.
Opposing the amendment is Save our State. Officials opposed to the amendment include Gov. Mike Parson and State Rep. Ashley Bland Manlove, as well as organizations such as the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, Missouri NAACP and Pro-Choice Missouri.

Amendment Four
Amendment Four would “authorize laws, passed before Dec. 31, 2026, that increase minimum funding for a police force established by a state board of police commissioners to ensure such police force has additional resources to serve its communities.” The amendment is not expected to create any costs or savings.

Amendment Five
Amendment Five would establish the Missouri Department of the National Guard. Currently, the Missouri National Guard is under the Missouri Department of Public Safety.
According to the language on the ballot, amending the constitution would make the National Guard “be its own department, known as the Missouri Department of the National Guard, which shall be required to protect the constitutional rights and civil liberties of Missourians.”
According to the language on the ballot, the state government is expected to experience a cost of $132,000 per year if the amendment passes. There is expected to be no financial impact on local institutions.
Supporters of the amendment include Gov. Mike Parson, State Sen. Bill White and State Sen. Adam Schnelting. No visible opposition has risen to the amendment.

Missouri State Constitutional Convention
There is also a question on the ballot asking voters if they wish for a convention to revise and amend the state constitution. The state’s constitution requires that the question be put on the ballot every 20 years.

Information for this article came from the sample ballots found on the websites of the Lawrence County Clerk’s Office, the Greene County Clerk’s Office, and Ballotpedia. The Lawrence County Clerk’s website can be found at www.lawrencecountymo.org/county-clerk. The Greene County Clerk’s website can be found online at www.greenecountymo.gov/county_clerk, and Ballotpedia can be found at www.ballotpedia.org.