Voters in Four States Consider Raising Approval Thresholds for Constitutional Amendments

Voters in North Dakota, South Dakota and Utah will decide this year on measures that would raise the approval threshold for constitutional amendments from a simple majority to 60 percent. In Utah the higher bar would apply only to tax-related proposals.

Missouri voters face a separate question in the August primary on Amendment 4, which would require any constitutional amendment to win majorities in each of the state's congressional districts.

Lawmakers in the three states with the 60 percent proposals said a simple majority makes constitutional changes too frequent. Republican state Rep. Robin Weisz, who led the North Dakota effort, told NPR the state constitution is being "cluttered up" with items that trivialize it.

Republican state Rep. John Hughes said during a South Dakota hearing that citizens do not understand the difference between constitutional amendments and statutes that lawmakers can later alter. Missouri voters have approved several citizen-led measures since 2020 that raised the minimum wage, expanded Medicaid and created a statewide right to reproductive health care including abortion access.

Each won a statewide majority but fell short of majorities in every congressional district. Amendment 4 would not apply to measures placed on the ballot by lawmakers, which would still need only a simple statewide majority. Florida already requires 60 percent approval for constitutional amendments.

A 2024 measure to enshrine abortion rights there received 57 percent support but failed. Twenty-six states allow citizens to place ballot measures before voters. Kelly Hall, executive director of the Fairness Project, said the measures reflect a broader effort by Republican-led states to limit direct democracy.