Did Missouri approve the form of Eapen Thampy's Article XIV initiative petition 2026-144?

Plain-English summary

Missouri Attorney General Catherine L. Hanaway approved Eapen Thampy's initiative petition 2026-144 as sufficient as to form. The official letter identified the proposal as version 4 of an amendment to Article XIV of the Missouri Constitution.

The approval was limited. Under § 116.332, RSMo, the Secretary of State retained final authority to approve or reject the petition. The opinion also said that form approval did not determine substantive sufficiency or endorse the petition's objectives.

What this means for you

Initiative petition proponents

Petition 2026-144 passed the Attorney General's form review under § 116.332, RSMo. The opinion did not decide whether the proposal was substantively sufficient.

Missouri election officials

The Attorney General's approval did not remove the Secretary of State's final authority to approve or reject the petition.

Election lawyers and ballot-measure researchers

Opinion 301-2025 records a form-sufficiency approval for version 4 of Thampy's Article XIV proposal and expressly limits the effect of that approval.

Common questions

Q: Was Eapen Thampy's petition 2026-144 approved as to form?
A: Yes. The Attorney General approved it as sufficient as to form.

Q: Could the Secretary of State still reject it?
A: Yes. The opinion said § 116.332 gave the Secretary of State final authority to approve or reject the petition.

Q: Did the opinion decide whether the proposal was substantively sufficient?
A: No. The Attorney General expressly limited the review to the petition's form.

Background and statutory framework

The Missouri Secretary of State requested review on September 11, 2025. The request identified the proposal as version 4 of an Article XIV amendment and as initiative petition 2026-144.

The Attorney General issued Opinion 301-2025 on September 22, 2025 and approved the petition as to form under § 116.332, RSMo.

Citations and references

Statute: § 116.332, RSMo.

Source

• Landing page: https://ago.mo.gov/other-resources/ag-opinions/
• Original PDF: https://ago.mo.gov/wp-content/uploads/301-2025.pdf

Original opinion text

ATTORNEY GENERAL OF MISSOURI
CATHERINE L. HANAWAY

September 22, 2025

OPINION LETTER NO. 301-2025

The Honorable Denny Hoskins, CPA
Missouri Secretary of State
James C. Kirkpatrick State Information Center
600 West Main Street
Jefferson City, MO 65101

Dear Secretary Hoskins:

This opinion letter responds to your request dated September 11, 2025, for our review under § 116.332, RSMo, of the sufficiency as to form of an initiative petition to amend Article XIV of the Missouri Constitution submitted by Eapen Thampy, version 4 (2026-144).

We approve the petition as to form, but § 116.332 gives the Secretary of State final authority to approve or reject the petition. Therefore, our approval of the form of the petition does not preclude you from rejecting the petition.

Because our review of the petition is simply for the purpose of determining sufficiency as to form, the fact that we do not reject the petition is not to be construed as a determination that the petition is sufficient as to substance. Likewise, because our review is mandated by statute, no action that we take with respect to such review should be construed as an endorsement of the petition or of the objectives of its proponents, or the expression of any view respecting the adequacy or inadequacy of the petition generally.

Very truly yours,

CATHERINE L. HANAWAY
Attorney General

OP-2025-321

Supreme Court Building, 207 W. High Street, P.O. Box 899, Jefferson City, MO 65102 | Phone: (573) 751-3321 | www.ago.mo.gov