Kehoe seeks to make it harder for voters to pass laws
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Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe. Photo illustration: Axios Visuals. Photo: Emily Curiel/The Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
Missouri Republican lawmakers could make it harder for voters to change the state's laws at the ballot box.
Why it matters: Voters directly enacted mandated paid sick leave, minimum wage increases and abortion rights in 2024, circumventing the Republican supermajorities in Missouri's General Assembly.
- Republicans have since mounted efforts to repeal those laws, and their proposal would curb that electoral power.
Right now, all it takes is a simple majority of voters to amend Missouri's laws and constitution — a process often referred to as "direct democracy" and used by more than 20 other states, the Kansas City Star reports.
Driving the news: Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe recently called on the General Assembly to "amend the state's initiative petition process" to also require support from a majority of voters in all eight congressional districts.
Between the lines: The change could effectively give one congressional district veto power over the rest of the state.
- Six of the eight districts voted for Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2024. Four of those six districts went red by more than 70%, according to Politico.
State of play: The debate comes shortly after the state's Republicans repealed the labor laws mandating paid sick leave and minimum wage increases, which voters passed with 57.6% support.
- Voters approved the right to an abortion up until fetal viability with 52% support, but lawmakers plan to put it back on the ballot in 2026.
What they're saying: In a video on X last week, Kehoe said the state's constitution has been a "victim" of "extreme-left representation" from other states.
- He claims Missouri voters have been "deceived" to pass "out-of-touch policies" and calls for banning "foreign nationals from contributing to committees" working to shape state policy.
- Kehoe spokesperson Gabrielle Picard didn't provide specific examples of out-of-state meddling when asked. She told Axios "Missourians are better aligned with Republican Congressional leadership than the policies of Democratic members from New York, California, and Illinois."
The special session, which began on Sept. 3, will also discuss redistricting Missouri to break up Kansas City's staunchly Democratic congressional district in the hopes of gaining another "MAGA Republican" seat, President Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The other side: "History will remember what the Missouri GOP is doing to rig our maps and eliminate our representation in Congress," State Rep. Ashley Aune (D-Platte County) posted to X after a protest on Labor Day.
What we're watching: Voters would ultimately have to approve any change to the initiative petition process, according to the Star.