Voters in several U.S. states will decide this year whether to increase the requirements for passing state constitutional amendments. In North Dakota, South Dakota, and Utah, ballot measures will propose raising the approval threshold from a simple majority to 60%. The Utah proposal specifically targets measures related to tax increases or expansions. Missouri voters will consider Amendment 4 in August, which would require citizen-led amendments to pass in every congressional district, while maintaining a simple majority requirement for measures referred by the legislature.
Supporters of these changes, primarily Republican lawmakers, argue that the current simple majority system allows for too frequent changes to state documents. They contend that the constitution should be more difficult to alter to prevent it from becoming "cluttered." Currently, Florida is the only state of the 26 that allow citizen initiatives to require a 60% supermajority for constitutional amendments.
Advocacy groups and voting rights organizations have criticized the proposals, stating that they undermine direct democracy and majority rule. Critics point to recent outcomes in states like Florida, where a 2024 abortion rights amendment failed despite receiving 57% of the vote. Opponents also note that in Missouri, previous successful initiatives regarding Medicaid expansion and the minimum wage might not have passed under the proposed district-specific requirements.