密苏里州的修正案4将在本周二由选民投票决定，该提案要求公民主导的宪法修正案必须在全州8个国会选区全部获得支持，而非采用传统的州级简单多数原则。[1] 这一标准将是全美最严格的，目前没有其他州采用过类似要求。[1]
支持者表示这一高门槛并不难以跨越。共和党州众议员埃德·刘易斯称："在全州8个国会选区中各获得50%的支持，对于真正具有共识的议案来说并不是一个困难的障碍。"[1] 然而，批评人士指出该提案违反了"一人一票"原则，因为即使七个选区支持某项倡议，仅凭一个选区的反对就可能导致整个提案失败。[1] 过去通过的多项倡议——包括堕胎权、大麻合法化、体育博彩和医疗补助扩展——在这一新标准下都将无法通过。[1]
与此同时，尊重密苏里选民联盟已经收集了超过30万份请愿书签名，试图将保护公民倡议权的修正案列入11月选票。[1]
Missouri voters will decide on Amendment 4, a proposal that would establish the most stringent requirements for citizen-initiated constitutional amendments in the United States.[1] The amendment would require that any citizen-led initiative gain approval in all eight of the state's congressional districts, rather than relying on a simple statewide majority.[1] No other state has adopted such a demanding threshold, nor has any state considered implementing this requirement.[1]
Republican state representative Ed Lewis defended the measure, stating that "Requiring 50% in each of our congressional districts is not a difficult barrier for anything that has a consensus."[1] However, critics argue the proposal violates the principle of one person, one vote, since an initiative could fail even if it won support in seven districts, provided a single district rejected it.[1] Under Amendment 4's standards, several initiatives previously approved by voters would have been defeated, including measures protecting abortion rights, legalizing marijuana, authorizing sports betting, and expanding Medicaid.[1]
In response to the proposal, the coalition Respect Missouri Voters has submitted more than 300,000 petition signatures in an effort to place a constitutional amendment protecting the initiative process on the November ballot.[1]