In the increasingly polarized landscape of American politics, grassroots efforts to promote progressive initiatives often meet significant obstacles. In 2018, Toni Easter, a retired fashion industry executive and co-founder of the group Respect Missouri Voters, organized a yard party in St. Louis aimed at advocating for a ballot initiative focused on redistricting. Unfortunately, her efforts were thwarted when Missouri’s Republican lawmakers countered with a competing initiative, ultimately overturning her proposal. This experience reflects a larger trend where citizen-led movements face systematic barriers imposed by state legislatures.
Fast forward to 2022, Easter once again took the initiative, this time successfully gathering signatures to enshrine abortion rights within the Missouri Constitution. However, she is now confronted with another challenge as the state legislature has approved a new referendum aimed at reversing the commitments made to protect abortion rights. “Our civil rights are being taken away,” Easter lamented, expressing her discontent and determination to empower voters against legislative actions that undermine their decisions. Her current mission is to organize a new measure for the 2026 ballot that seeks to prevent lawmakers from overturning citizen-approved initiatives.
This situation is part of a broader national narrative where liberal activists in conservative states find themselves facing similar struggles. Republican lawmakers across the country are progressively making it more difficult for citizen-driven measures to qualify for ballots or to be enforced. With activism gaining traction in many states, eleven states have successfully passed abortion rights measures through citizen-approved initiatives since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision in 2022, which rescinded federally guaranteed abortion rights.
Chris Melody Fields Figueredo, the executive director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, remarked on this concerning trend, stating, “State lawmakers have been using their power to subvert the will of the people.” This reflects a pervasive sentiment among activists who feel that in an environment where they are locked out of power in both the federal and state arenas, their recourse is to mobilize citizen initiatives to achieve policy goals. Unfortunately, as they attempt to do so, they are met with increasing resistance, evidenced by legislation aimed at tightening the rules governing ballot initiatives.
Conservative politicians argue that these initiatives are often manipulated by outside interests looking to shape state constitutions irresponsibly. They contend that the process is prone to fraud, particularly due to the reliance on paid canvassers for signature collection. South Dakota’s Republican state Senator John Hughes articulated concerns over the vulnerability of their constitution during a committee hearing earlier this year, ultimately sponsoring a resolution to increase the threshold for passage of initiatives from a simple majority to 60%.
Moreover, the rise in conservative legislation aimed at restricting ballot initiatives has been notable. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, nearly half the states permit citizen initiatives; however, there has been a significant jump in state efforts aimed at constraining these measures, with at least 148 bills introduced in 2023 alone, showing a stark rise from 76 in preceding legislative sessions.
States like South Dakota, which was the first to enable an initiative process back in 1898, have seen both successes and failures among recent ballot initiatives. While a 2022 measure that expanded Medicaid passed successfully, other proposals, like a nonpartisan primary system similar to California’s, failed. The implications of increasing passage thresholds are concerning for activists who see such changes as tactics to suppress voter-led initiatives.
Florida has already set a precedent with its 60% threshold, which resulted in the defeat of various citizen-led initiatives, including those seeking to enshrine abortion rights and legalize recreational marijuana. In other states, such as Arkansas and Oklahoma, new laws have introduced stringent requirements for petition canvassers, increased ID checks, and limited signature gathering from urban areas, which critics argue unfairly favor rural voices while disenfranchising urban voters.
Missouri’s recent legislative session has witnessed fierce debates around citizen initiatives, with lawmakers challenging a voter-approved measure that guaranteed paid sick leave and increases to the minimum wage. Subsequent developments have included proposals for a new abortion referendum, aiming to repeal existing protections instituted just months before.
As communities like Respect Missouri Voters strategize for future initiatives, the need for grassroots mobilization and coalition-building is clearer than ever. Easter emphasizes that such movements can reclaim power from legislators, paving the way for governance that truly reflects the will of the people. As her group sets out to raise funds and recruit volunteers for the 2026 ballot initiative, they embody a broader movement aiming to restore the agency of citizens in shaping their collective destiny amidst an evolving, often reactionary, political environment.