The Only Thing Missouri Amendment 7 Does Is Ban More Choice Elections

ballot
Photo by Philip Oroni on Unsplash. Unplash+ license obtained by author.
Published: 17 Oct, 2024
Updated: 18 Jun, 2025
3 min read

Photo Credit: Philip Oroni / Unsplash

 

Not much attention is on Amendment 7 in Missouri as millions of dollars have gone into ads for and against other proposals that deal with abortion, online sports betting, and a new casino. However, the amendment affects the voting rights of every Missouri citizen.

Amendment 7 does the following:

One, it requires that only US citizens 18 years or older can vote in state elections. Two, it prohibits the use of ranked choice voting in the state. Three, it requires plurality primary elections that advance a single winner to the general election

The last thing, in particular, does not get much attention at all. What it means is that the Missouri Constitution would prohibit the use of nonpartisan open primaries, whether it be a top two system like in California or a top four system like in Alaska. 

Under a nonpartisan system, all voters and candidates participate on a single ballot -- regardless of party - -and at least two of the top vote-getters move on to the general election.

In other words, more than one candidate advances from a single primary election as citizens narrow the options to the candidates determined by all voters to be the most viable, instead of selecting party nominees.

Requiring primaries to advance only a single candidate means that an election system in which Republicans and Democrats get their own taxpayer-funded primary elections would be enshrined into constitutional law.

IVP Donate

And at the end of the day, the only thing voters would do by voting "Yes" on Amendment 7 is surrender their right to adopt new election systems if they are dissatisfied with their representation at the local, state, and federal level. 

Noncitizen voting is already illegal under the US Constitution, the Missouri Constitution, and state and federal statutes. There is zero evidence that noncitizen voting is a problem anywhere, even though it's on the ballot in multiple states. 

In a recent op-ed, Wes Rogers wrote in The Kansas City Star that Amendment 7 exists only to deceive Missourians into voting against their own interests.

"[B]eware of the sneaky Missouri Amendment 7, which uses something that’s common sense — prohibiting noncitizens from voting — to candy-coat a poison pill and distract from all the other things it would do to make elections less representative of all of us," he writes.

Amendment 7 advanced to the general election through the Missouri legislature. It started as SJR78, introduced by Sen. Ben Brown in the state Senate. Brown said its purpose was " "to fortify" state "elections to make sure that every Missourian’s voice is heard and counted."  

Nothing about the resolution or the final proposal that would become Amendment 7 does this -- but critics call the noncitizen provision "ballot candy," something that looks great but won't actually do anything.

This is why The Kansas City Star issued a "No" endorsement for Amendment 7. 

If lawmakers tried to pitch only a voting reform ban, there is no guarantee it would pass -- especially in a state where voters have already shown they support comprehensive election reform.

Let Us Vote : Sign Now!

However, it appears voters may end up taking the bait. A poll from Public Opinion Strategies found that 62% of respondents support Amendment 7, though its sample size was 600 registered voters. Without additional polling, it's difficult to gauge public opinion. 

Regardless of how voters feel about ranked choice voting and open primaries, Amendment 7 is about denying voters the ability to decide for themselves what election model works best for them and their communities. 

"Should voters ever wish to move from a costly and inefficient two-round system to a more modern single round with ranked choice, we should be able to make that decision. It’s silly to take that freedom away," writes Rogers.

He adds:

"It would be just as foolish to ban open primaries and require a plurality winner. Why should Missouri be stuck with a system that advances two candidates to a general election when they can’t even win a majority of their own party’s voters in a low-turnout primary?"

Amendment 7 would not have a retroactive impact on nonpartisan municipal elections passed as of November 5, 2024 -- meaning it would not force St. Louis to change its nonpartisan elections with approval voting. 

Related articles

Crowd in Time Square.
NYC Exit Survey: 96% of Voters Understood Their Ranked Choice Ballots
An exit poll conducted by SurveyUSA on behalf of the nonprofit better elections group FairVote finds that ranked choice voting (RCV) continues to be supported by a vast majority of voters who find it simple, fair, and easy to use. The findings come in the wake of the city’s third use of RCV in its June 2025 primary elections....
01 Jul, 2025
-
6 min read
A man filling out his election ballot.
Oregon Activist Sues over Closed Primaries: 'I Shouldn't Have to Join a Party to Have a Voice'
A new lawsuit filed in Oregon challenges the constitutionality of the state’s closed primary system, which denies the state’s largest registered voting bloc – independent voters – access to taxpayer-funded primary elections. The suit alleges Oregon is denying the voters equal voting rights...
01 Jul, 2025
-
3 min read
Picture of skyscraper in New York behind a bridge.
Knives Come Out Against Reform at NYC CRC Hearing as Independents Rise
Last week in Staten Island, the NYC Charter Revision Commission held its next-to-last public hearing. As Commissioner Diane Savino commented, addressing NYC's closed primary system “is the single biggest issue we’ve heard this year.”...
30 Jun, 2025
-
3 min read

Latest articles

Crowd in Time Square.
NYC Exit Survey: 96% of Voters Understood Their Ranked Choice Ballots
An exit poll conducted by SurveyUSA on behalf of the nonprofit better elections group FairVote finds that ranked choice voting (RCV) continues to be supported by a vast majority of voters who find it simple, fair, and easy to use. The findings come in the wake of the city’s third use of RCV in its June 2025 primary elections....
01 Jul, 2025
-
6 min read
A man filling out his election ballot.
Oregon Activist Sues over Closed Primaries: 'I Shouldn't Have to Join a Party to Have a Voice'
A new lawsuit filed in Oregon challenges the constitutionality of the state’s closed primary system, which denies the state’s largest registered voting bloc – independent voters – access to taxpayer-funded primary elections. The suit alleges Oregon is denying the voters equal voting rights...
01 Jul, 2025
-
3 min read
Supreme Court building.
Supreme Court Sides with Federal Corrections Officers in Lawsuit Over Prison Incident
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled June 30 that federal prison officers and officials cannot be sued by an inmate who accused them of excessive force during a 2021 incident, delivering a victory for federal corrections personnel concerned about rising legal exposure for doing their jobs....
01 Jul, 2025
-
3 min read