Secretary of State Makes Unprecedented Illegal Power Grab
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
8/4/2026
communicationsdirector@respectvoters.org, (314) 239-1308
Secretary of State Makes Unprecedented Illegal Power Grab; Respect Missouri Voters Remains Confident in Certification
Bipartisan campaign planning legal action to ensure ballot access after gathering more than 367,000 signatures
Jefferson City, Mo.—The Respect Missouri Voters citizen-led ballot initiative released the following statements following Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins’s press conference:
“Today, the Missouri Secretary of State invented an unprecedented, illegal ability to block Missouri voters from accessing their Constitutional right to have a say on measures at the ballot,” said former Sen. Bob Johnson (R-Lee’s Summit). “This brazen disregard for the will of the people is exactly why the people of Missouri came together to gather signatures, donate, and place the Respect Missouri Voters Amendment on the ballot for November, because we are sick of these games in Jefferson City.”
“Respect Missouri Voters is confident that the amendment follows the constitution and gathered more than the required support from Missouri voters,” said DeMarco K. Davidson, Executive Director of Metropolitan Congregations United. “More than 367,000 Missourians signed this citizen-led petition because they believe voters deserve a clear, fair, and transparent process to decide the future of our state.”
“Missourians have the right to amend our constitution by initiative petition. The Respect Missouri Voters Amendment is limited to one subject and one article. We believe every necessary legal action should be taken to defend Missouri voters from the Secretary of State’s unprecedented abuse of power,” said Jake Hummel, President of the Missouri AFL-CIO.
“Hundreds of thousands of citizens, far more than required, signed to demand that the Respect Missouri Voters Amendment appear on the ballot,” said Toni Easter, volunteer and co-founder of Respect Missouri Voters. “This is an unprecedented abuse of power that goes beyond the substance of this petition and attacks the century-old constitutional freedom of citizens to exercise our voice by direct democracy, independent of the legislature. Our petition was reviewed and approved for circulation. We intend to take every necessary legal action to ensure the people of Missouri will be heard.”
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Help us raise funds for our legal fight: Start your peer-to-peer page now, which will help recruit more volunteers and raise funds for our legal fight. Whether someone donates $1 or $1000, every dollar counts, and every volunteer checking the box on the final page is another person who can help with calls, texts, and canvassing come October. Start your page here: https://respectmovoters.org/p2p
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About Respect Missouri Voters
The Respect Missouri Voters Coalition is a statewide grassroots, cross-partisan movement driven by 2,000 volunteers. The coalition works to preserve the citizen initiative process and to ensure the will of the people is respected to build a more accountable, responsive government that serves everyday Missourians. Learn more and get involved at www.respectMOvoters.org.
