Missouri Constitution
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| Missouri Constitution |
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| Preamble |
| Articles |
| I • II • III • IV • V • VI • VII • VIII • IX • X • XI • XII • XIII • XIV |
The Missouri Constitution is the state constitution of Missouri.
- The current Missouri Constitution was adopted in 1945.
- Missouri has had four state constitutions.
- The current state constitution has 14 articles.
- The current Missouri Constitution has been amended 126 times.[1][2]
- The most recent amendments to the Missouri Constitution, of which there were four, were approved in 2024.
A state constitution is the fundamental document that outlines a state's framework for governance, including the powers, structure, and limitations of the state government, individual and civil rights, and other matters.
Features[edit]
Altogether, the Missouri Constitution has 14 constitutional articles.[3] The state's current constitution was adopted in 1945 and is the state's fourth constitution.
Since 1962, Missourians have been asked every twenty years if they would like to convene a constitutional convention to revise the constitution; each time, a majority of the state's voters have rejected the proposal.[4]
Background[edit]
Missouri became the 24th state in 1821. The state's first constitution was drafted in 1820 in 38 days, and was in effect from 1821 to 1865, which was when the second constitution became effective.[5]
The third constitution was drafted 10 years later in 1875 after a constitutional convention was held. In 1942, Missouri voters approved an initiative to call for a constitutional convention. The fourth constitution was drafted in a constitutional convention, and voters ratified the constitution in 1945. The 1945 constitution is still in place today.[5]
Preamble[edit]
The preamble of the Missouri Constitution states:
Article I: Bill of Rights[edit]
- See also: Article I, Missouri Constitution
Article I of the Missouri Constitution is entitled "Bill of Rights" and consists of 35 sections.[3]
Click here to read this article of the Missouri Constitution.
Article II: The Distribution of Powers[edit]
- See also: Article II, Missouri Constitution
Article II of the Missouri Constitution is entitled "The Distribution of Powers" and consists of a single section.[3]
Click here to read this article of the Missouri Constitution.
Article III: Legislative Department[edit]
- See also: Article III, Missouri Constitution
Article III of the Missouri Constitution is entitled "Legislative Department" and consists of 53 sections.[3]
Click here to read this article of the Missouri Constitution.
Article IV: Executive Department[edit]
- See also: Article IV, Missouri Constitution
Article IV of the Missouri Constitution is entitled "Executive Department" and consists of 53 sections.[3]
Click here to read this article of the Missouri Constitution.
Article V: Judicial Department[edit]
- See also: Article V, Missouri Constitution
Article V of the Missouri Constitution is entitled "Judicial Department" and consists of 27 sections.[3]
Click here to read this article of the Missouri Constitution.
Article VI: Local Government[edit]
- See also: Article VI, Missouri Constitution
Article VI of the Missouri Constitution is entitled "Local Government" and consists of 33 sections.[3]
Click here to read this article of the Missouri Constitution.
Article VII: Public Officers[edit]
- See also: Article VII, Missouri Constitution
Article VII of the Missouri Constitution is entitled "Public Officers" and consists of 14 sections.[3]
Click here to read this article of the Missouri Constitution.
Article VIII: Suffrage and Elections[edit]
- See also: Article VIII, Missouri Constitution
Article VIII of the Missouri Constitution is entitled "Suffrage and Elections."[3]
Click here to read this article of the Missouri Constitution.
Article IX: Education[edit]
- See also: Article IX, Missouri Constitution
Article IX of the Missouri Constitution is entitled "Education" and consists of 10 sections.[3]
Click here to read this article of the Missouri Constitution.
Article X: Taxation[edit]
- See also: Article X, Missouri Constitution
Article X of the Missouri Constitution is entitled "Taxation" and consists of 26 sections.[3]
Click here to read this article of the Missouri Constitution.
Article XI: Corporations[edit]
- See also Article XI, Missouri Constitution
Article XI of the Missouri Constitution is entitled "Corporations" and consists of 13 sections.
Click here to read this article of the Missouri Constitution.
Article XII: Amending the Constitution[edit]
- See also: Article XII, Missouri Constitution
Article XII of the Missouri Constitution is entitled "Amending the Constitution" and consists of six sections.
Click here to read this article of the Missouri Constitution.
Article XIII: Public Employees[edit]
- See also: Article XIII, Missouri Constitution
Article XIII of the Missouri Constitution is entitled "Public Employees" and consists of three sections.
Click here to read this article of the Missouri Constitution.
Article XIV: Medical Marijuana[edit]
- See also: Article XIV, Missouri Constitution
Article XIV of the Missouri Constitution is entitled "Medical Cannabis" and consists of one section.
Click here to read this article of the Missouri Constitution.
Amending the constitution[edit]
The Missouri Constitution can be amended via three different paths—a citizen-initiated process, a legislative process, and a state constitutional convention.
Initiative[edit]
- See also: Initiated constitutional amendment
An initiated constitutional amendment is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends a state's constitution. Eighteen (18) states allow citizens to initiate constitutional amendments.
In Missouri, the number of signatures required for an initiated constitutional amendment is based on the number of votes cast for governor in the state's most recent gubernatorial election. In two-thirds of Missouri's congressional districts, proponents must collect signatures equal to 8% of the gubernatorial vote for initiated constitutional amendments. A simple majority vote is required for voter approval.
Legislature[edit]
A simple majority vote is required during one legislative session for the Missouri General Assembly to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 82 votes in the Missouri House of Representatives and 18 votes in the Missouri State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
Convention[edit]
According to Section 3a of Article XII of the Missouri Constitution, a question about whether to hold a state constitutional convention is to automatically appear on the state's ballot every 20 years starting in 1942. Missouri is one of 14 states that provides for an automatic constitutional convention question.
The table below shows the last and next constitutional convention question election years:
| State | Interval | Last question on the ballot | Next question on the ballot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 20 years | 2022 | 2042 |
See also[edit]
- State constitution
- Constitutional article
- Constitutional amendment
- Constitutional revision
- Constitutional convention
- Amendments
External links[edit]
- Missouri General Assembly, "Missouri Constitution"
- The Missouri History Museum, "The Constitution of 1865 - Drake Constitution"
- Green Papers, "Historical overview of the Missouri Constitution"
- YouTube, "Missouri Constitution"
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ Missouri Legislative Academy, "Constitutional Amendments, Statutory Revision and Referenda Submitted to the Voters by the General Assembly or by Initiative Petition, 1910–2010," accessed July 4, 2017
- ↑ This number was calculated by taking the total amendments approved from 1910 through 2010, subtracting amendments adopted prior to 1945 (the year the current constitution was adopted), and adding amendments adopted after 2010.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 Missouri General Assembly, "Missouri Constitution," accessed March 30, 2014
- ↑ I and R Institute.org, "Missouri Constitution," accessed March 30, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Missouri Courts, "A Celebration of Two Constitutions," September 9, 2005
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