What does a 'yes' or 'no' vote mean on Missouri Amendment 7?

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - A proposal up for vote on Missouri's general election ballots next month as Amendment 7 could change the state's constitution to explicitly limit state voting rights to U.S. citizens in Missouri and ban ranked-choice voting in future elections.

Voters will be asked to vote "Yes" or "No" on Amendment 5. Below is a brief explainer of what a "yes" and "no" vote mean and how Amendment 7 will be written on Missouri ballots.

What does a 'yes' vote mean?

A majority "yes" vote would change Missouri's state constitution to ensure that only U.S. citizens 18 and older can vote in Missouri state elections.

This change would make the Missouri Constitution consistent with federal laws that expressly prohibit noncitizen voting. Such a change would take effect in 2025 state elections and beyond.

Voting "yes" would end the possibility of ranked-choice voting in the state, meaning that Missouri voters could only cast one vote per candidate and ballot issue in future elections.

Current Missouri laws do not explicitly ban ranked-choice voting, which allows cities in the state to adopt such a system. In ranked-choice voting, voters rank their first, second and third choices (and more if needed) for candidates or ballot issues. Hypothetically, if no candidate earns a majority, ranked-choice voting would help decide a winner and eliminate the lowest-ranked candidates until there is a winner. The process is somewhat similar to a run-off election.

A "yes" vote would for Amendment 7 ensure that ranked-choice voting is no longer a possibility in the state.

Voters who side with Amendment 7 also approve one additional condition for future elections: The candidate who earns the most votes in a party's primary, also known as the "plurality winner" will be the only candidate to represent their party on the general election ballot for their aspiring office.

What does a 'no' vote mean?

A majority "no" vote would prevent the state from amending its constitution to only extend voting rights to U.S. citizens in Missouri.

Voting "no" would also allow Missouri municipalities to proceed with ranked-choice voting in future elections if such a system was previously approved locally.

Voters who side against Amendment 7 reject constitutional changes to explicitly ban non-citizen voting and ranked-choice voting in the state. It's essentially a vote that maintains status quo in various Missouri voting rights.

As written on ballots

Amendment 5 will read on Missouri ballots verbatim as such....

Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to;

*Make the Constitution consistent with state law by only allowing citizens of the United States to vote;
*Prohibit the ranking of candidates by limiting voters to a single vote per candidate or issue; and
*Require the plurality winner of a political party primary to be the single candidate at a general election?

State and local governmental entities estimate no costs or savings.