Missouri’s War on Democracy

In a true democracy, the will of the people prevails. In a constitutional republic like the United States, however, that will is only as strong as the integrity of those elected to represent it. Currently, Missourians are learning a hard lesson about how a republic's limitations can undermine the will of the people. Missouri’s Republican leadership has repeatedly demonstrated a greater commitment to partisan control than to democratic principles. They are showing the nation how a minority opinion can dominate a majority.

This is perhaps most evident in the weeks following the passage of Amendment 3, when voters decisively enshrined reproductive freedom in the state constitution. Instead of honoring the outcome, Republican legislators during this year’s legislative session initiated a two-pronged assault aimed at overturning it—by any means necessary.

The first tactic is a direct attack on the Initiative Petition process—the very mechanism Missouri voters used to pass Amendment 3. Instead of honoring the outcome of the people’s voice, Republicans are moving quickly and decisively to manipulate the rules of the game.

The proposed legislation, SB22, cynically labeled the “Let Politicians Lie Act,” would grant the Secretary of State expanded powers to control how ballot language is written, even if it is misleading or biased. Courts have previously intervened to block such manipulation, most recently when Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft attempted to rewrite the language of Amendment 3 in ways that judges described as “unfair” and “inaccurate.” SB22 seeks to remove the judiciary's oversight role by imposing strict deadlines that could enable the Secretary of State to run out the clock before the courts have their final say.

Even more alarming, the bill includes a retroactivity clause, which raises serious concerns that Republicans might attempt to retroactively nullify Amendment 3 entirely. In other words, after voters have spoken and the amendment has become law, the legislature may now contend that it was never valid to begin with. If this sounds absurd, that’s because it is. In effect, Republicans are building a time machine, allowing them to unwire any previous amendment or law that is not to their liking.

The second tactic, as proposed in HJR73, is more familiar: put a new, vaguely worded constitutional amendment on the ballot to cancel out the last one. The vagueness in the wording is intentional; it’s a ballot-candy strategy Republicans have used before, most notably when they overturned Clean Missouri, the anti-corruption initiative passed by voters in 2018. “Ballot candy” allows Republicans to dress up misleading proposals in language that sounds universally agreeable, such as banning non-citizen voting, even though it’s already illegal. They’re counting on the average voter not to look at the fine print.

As an example of upcoming ballot candy, HJR73, while not yet proposing specific ballot language, suspiciously excludes direct reference to the abortion ban; instead, it asks voters if they want to “guarantee access to care for medical emergencies, ectopic pregnancies, and miscarriages,” a right already guaranteed in the Missouri Constitution. It further embellishes the bill by asking if Missourians want to ensure women’s safety during abortion, ensure parental consent for minors, allow abortions for medical emergencies, fetal anomalies, rape, and incest, and protect children from gender transitions. All these issues distract from the bill's true intent and will no doubt be featured prominently in any supporting ballot.

The disdain that Republicans have for Missourians was evident at a recent committee hearing for HJR73. While 433 citizens signed up to oppose the bill, only 44 signed up to support it. However, instead of allowing the full scope of public opinion to be heard, Republican Representative Holly Jones limited testimony to five speakers from each side, effectively silencing over 90% of those who came to defend their rights. The conference room erupted with loud jeers and boos when she announced this decision, and Jones, true to her Republican identity, swiftly shut it down. People traveled from all over the state to make their voices heard, but Jones and the other Republicans in the committee room were indifferent. Their minds were made up before a single citizen spoke. That’s not representation; it’s repression. That being the case, they showed little patience to sit through what they considered a waste of time.

This is not governance. This is authoritarianism.

Time and again, Missouri voters have made their values clear: they want reproductive freedom, fair maps, clean government, and a voice in the laws that govern them. And time and again, Republican lawmakers have responded with cynicism, obstruction, and deceit.

What’s happening in Missouri isn’t just a local fight. It’s a test case for how far a political party will go to consolidate power, silencing the people they claim to represent in our “Constitutional Republic.”

If we want to preserve our democracy, we can’t afford to stay silent while they try to drown us out.

It’s time to take action. Get loud! History is watching. This is our time. This is our fight.