Missouri passes Amendment 3 in two-year reversal

By Madison Parry

Voters in Missouri approved Amendment 3 on Tuesday, reversing legislative redistricting rules under the passage of Amendment 1 in 2018. The two-year reversal will address the “Clean Missouri” reforms previously approved by voters.

Two years after voters overwhelmingly passed “Clean Missouri” reforms, changes related to the state’s process for drawing legislative districts were rolled back Tuesday with the passage of Amendment 3.

The newly approved amendment will impact how Missouri’s legislative districts are drawn, though also includes imposing new limits on campaign contributions to elected officials and a ban on lobbyist gifts.

Wording on Tuesday’s ballot stated the amendment would, “change the redistricting process voters approved in 2018 [by] transferring responsibility for drawing state legislative districts from the Nonpartisan State Demographer to Governor-appointed bipartisan commissions [and] modifying and reordering the redistricting criteria.”  

Those opposed to its passing voice concerns of partisan gerrymandering and worry about the possibility of election districts being divided and drawn in unconventional ways.

Back in 2018, Amendment 1 passed with nearly 1.5 million votes. The amendment is also referred to as the Clean Missouri amendment.

The state constitutional amendment that passed in 2018 created an independent state demographer responsible for drawing legislative district maps.

Following Tuesday’s vote, the system prior to 2018 has been restored with just over half of the vote at 51 percent.