What ballot summary did Missouri approve for petition 2026-115 on proportional presidential electoral votes?

Plain-English summary

Missouri Attorney General Catherine L. Hanaway approved the legal content and form of the proposed ballot summary for Mark Johnson's initiative petition 2026-115, version 3 of an Article VIII amendment.

The approved summary asked whether Missouri should replace its winner-take-all system for presidential electoral votes with a proportional system beginning in 2028 and "lessen Missouri's influence in determining the outcome of presidential elections."

The review was limited to legal content and form under § 116.334, RSMo. The opinion said the approval was not an endorsement of the petition or an expression of any view about its objectives.

What this means for you

Initiative petition proponents

The proposed summary for petition 2026-115 passed the Attorney General's legal-content and form review. The opinion did not endorse the proposed electoral-vote change.

Missouri election officials

Opinion 306-2025 approved the two-part summary submitted for version 3, including its statement that proportional allocation would begin in 2028.

Voters and ballot-measure researchers

The approved wording described both the structural change from winner-take-all allocation and the stated effect of lessening Missouri's influence in presidential elections.

Common questions

Q: What change did petition 2026-115 propose?
A: The approved summary described replacing Missouri's winner-take-all electoral-vote system with proportional allocation beginning in 2028.

Q: What effect did the summary state?
A: It said the amendment would lessen Missouri's influence in determining presidential-election outcomes.

Q: Did the Attorney General endorse the proposal?
A: No. The opinion expressly said the mandated review should not be construed as an endorsement or a view on the proponents' objectives.

Background and statutory framework

The Secretary of State requested review on September 26, 2025. The proposed summary concerned Mark Johnson's petition 2026-115, version 3, to amend Article VIII of the Missouri Constitution.

The Attorney General issued Opinion 306-2025 on October 6, 2025 and approved the summary's legal content and form under § 116.334, RSMo.

Citations and references

Statute: § 116.334, RSMo.

Source

• Landing page: https://ago.mo.gov/other-resources/ag-opinions/
• Original PDF: https://ago.mo.gov/wp-content/uploads/306-2025.pdf

Original opinion text

ATTORNEY GENERAL OF MISSOURI
CATHERINE L. HANAWAY

October 6, 2025

OPINION LETTER NO. 306-2025

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 26, 2025, for our review under § 116.334, RSMo, of a proposed summary statement prepared for the petition submitted by Mark Johnson (2026-115) regarding a proposed constitutional amendment to amend Article VIII, version 3, of the Missouri Constitution. The proposed summary statement is as follows:

Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to:

• Replace Missouri's winner-take-all system of awarding electoral votes in presidential elections with a proportional system beginning in 2028; and
• Lessen Missouri's influence in determining the outcome of presidential elections?

Pursuant to § 116.334, RSMo, we approve the legal content and form of the proposed statement. Because our review of the statement is mandated by statute, no action that we take with respect to such review should be construed as an endorsement of the petition, nor as the expression of any view regarding the objectives of its proponents.

Very truly yours,

CATHERINE L. HANAWAY
Attorney General

OP-2025-326

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