08/03/2026
For Democracy: Vote No on Amendment 4.
by: Lilly Fuchs, 80th State Representative (Democrat)
The Nation is celebrating 250 years of being a country. Our collective history is fraught. One of war and genocide. One of overcoming and resilience. The very foundation of our collective is rooted in liberation from tyranny. We are told tales of noble statesmen demanding that there be, “no taxation without representation.” And yet, here we are in 2026 with both federal and state executive and judicial branches of government actively dismantling voter protections.
Democracy is on the line, and I am feeling more grief than celebration.
Here in MO, our state’s executive, legislative, and judicial branches are working to erode voting rights by legislating the redrawing of congressional maps outside of state constitutional guidelines. AND. Our MO GOP is attempting to further disenfranchise our votes by eliminating the citizen petition process by passing Amendment 4.
You, concerned MO voter, need to Vote NO on 4.
What is Amendment 4 and how did we get here?
Let’s think back to November of 2024. Perhaps you remember voting on earned paid medical sick leave (Prop A) and access to abortion (Amendment 3). Missourians worked really hard to get these measures on the ballot, and then showed up at the polls, voted, and passed these two ballot measures. Yay!
Then, during the 2025 legislative session, the MO GOP super majority overturned our votes by legislatively undoing Prop A and by passing a counter Amendment 3 ballot measure bill to undo what Missourians just voted on. Boo!
By the end of the 2025 legislative session, the MO GOP super majority took away the voices of their constituents and mine by passing legislation to put Amendment 3 back on the ballot. And, if this didn’t go far enough, now they are trying to stop our ability to leverage this process again in the future by changing how the process works and making it harder for the people to hold their government accountable.
What do you mean, “worked really hard to get these measures on the ballot?
This is what needs our protection – the citizen’s petition process and majority rule. The majority of the state of Missouri voted to pass important ballot measures like Medicaid expansion, the legalization of marajuana, and access to abortion, because the people used the process and exercised their collective right to government accountability and oversight. We have a process here in MO where THE PEOPLE can organize to collect 300,000 signatures, and then once certified, those signatures will allow the Citizen’s Petition to be on the ballot. Yes, that’s right. If the people do not like the laws that their legislature passes, WE have the power to change it using this process.
We need to stop Amendment 4, or we lose majority rule.
The Specifics of Amendment 4
Information sourced at: https://www.protectmajorityrulemo.org/
- This permanent constitutional amendment would make it nearly impossible for citizens to pass ballot measures.
- Right now, a ballot measure passes in Missouri if it gets a majority of the votes statewide. Amendment 4 would change that.
- Instead of using the total statewide vote, a measure would need to win a majority of votes in all eight of Missouri’s congressional districts in order to pass.
- Under Amendment 4, your vote can be cancelled by just ONE congressional district — that means just 5% of voters could reject what the rest of the state approves.
- We should never vote to give up our own power and hand it over to politicians and the special interests who control them.
- Amendment 4 takes away our power to pass laws — so politicians and special interests get all the power.”
Wanna know something else? We, as a legislative body, have the ability to put something on the ballot if it passes with a simple majority, and if Amendment 4 passes, this won’t change for us. The MO legislature will only need a simple majority to get something before the MO voters, but the MO voters will need a majority of votes in ALL 8 congressional districts. Smells like injustice to me!
When we gathered together over the weekend to celebrate and mourn this Independence Day, I hope you had deep and meaningful conversations with your friends, family, and neighbors about how our ancestors forged a path for this experiment called Democracy to thrive. The Missouri GOP is a real threat to the soul of Democracy. The loss of the Citizen’s Petition Process in MO is the next step into authoritarianism. Please do not shy away from having these incredibly important conversations as we honor what the indigenous forfeited land for, the enslaved labored for, the women organized for, and veterans died for - the right to vote. Our vote is our voice. Our voice is what they are trying to silence.
A NO Vote on Amendment 4 on August 4th is a vote 4 Democracy.
