Missouri’s current constitution took effect in 1945, and since then it has been amended 126 times. That pace—an average of 1.7 amendments per year—is the 11th-highest among the 50 states. It shouldn’t be too surprising that the Missouri Constitution is amended so frequently; not only are the requirements for legislature-generated amendments less burdensome than in most other states, but Missouri is also one of only 18 states that permit citizen-initiated amendments.
In this essay, John Dinan of Wake Forest University examines the amendment process in detail, looks at the types of amendments that have been passed over the past three-quarters of a century, and identifies measures that could be taken to reduce the frequency of amendments in the future.
Click on the link below to read the entire essay.
