COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH
OVERSIGHT DIVISION
FISCAL NOTE
L.R. No.:2757H.01P Bill No.:Perfected HJR 66 Subject:Elections; Constitutional AmendmentsType:Original Date:May 2, 2023Bill Summary:This joint resolution modifies constitutional provisions about elections and
voting.
FISCAL SUMMARY
ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON GENERAL REVENUE FUNDFUND AFFECTEDFY 2024FY 2025FY 2026
General Revenue*
$0 or (More than
$10,000,000)$0$0
Total Estimated Net
Effect on General
Revenue
$0 or (More than
$10,000,000)$0$0
*The potential fiscal impact of “(More than $10,000,000)” would be realized only if a special
election were called by the Governor to submit this joint resolution to voters.
ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON OTHER STATE FUNDSFUND AFFECTEDFY 2024FY 2025FY 2026Total Estimated Net
Effect on Other State
Funds $0$0$0
Numbers within parentheses: () indicate costs or losses. L.R. No. 2757H.01P
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ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON FEDERAL FUNDSFUND AFFECTEDFY 2024FY 2025FY 2026Total Estimated Net
Effect on All Federal
Funds $0$0$0
ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON FULL TIME EQUIVALENT (FTE)FUND AFFECTEDFY 2024FY 2025FY 2026Total Estimated Net
Effect on FTE 000
☒ Estimated Net Effect (expenditures or reduced revenues) expected to exceed $250,000 in any
of the three fiscal years after implementation of the act or at full implementation of the act.
☐ Estimated Net Effect (savings or increased revenues) expected to exceed $250,000 in any of
the three fiscal years after implementation of the act or at full implementation of the act.
ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON LOCAL FUNDSFUND AFFECTEDFY 2024FY 2025FY 2026Local Government$0*$0 $0
*Transfer out and transfer in net to zero if the Governor calls a special election. L.R. No. 2757H.01P
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FISCAL ANALYSIS
ASSUMPTION
Officials from Office of the Secretary of State (SOS) assume, each year, a number of joint
resolutions that would refer to a vote of the people a constitutional amendment and bills that
would refer to a vote of the people the statutory issue in the legislation may be considered by the
General Assembly.
Unless a special election is called for the purpose, Joint Resolutions proposing a constitutional
amendment are submitted to a vote of the people at the next general election. Article XII section
2(b) of the Missouri Constitution authorizes the governor to order a special election for
constitutional amendments referred to the people. If a special election is called to submit a Joint
Resolution to a vote of the people, section 115.063.2 RSMo requires the state to pay the costs.
The cost of the special election has been estimated to be $10 million based on the cost of the
2022 primary and general election reimbursements.
The Secretary of State’s office is required to pay for publishing in local newspapers the full text
of each statewide ballot measure as directed by Article XII, Section 2(b) of the Missouri
Constitution and Section 116.230-116.290, RSMo. Funding for this item is adjusted each year
depending upon the election cycle. A new decision item is requested in odd numbered fiscal
years and the amount requested is dependent upon the estimated number of ballot measures that
will be approved by the General Assembly and the initiative petitions certified for the ballot. In
FY 2014, the General Assembly changed the appropriation so that it was no longer an estimated
appropriation.
For the FY24 petitions cycle, the SOS estimates publication costs at $70,000 per page. This
amount is subject to change based on number of petitions received, length of those petitions and
rates charged by newspaper publishers.
The Secretary of State’s office will continue to assume, for the purposes of this fiscal note, that it
should have the full appropriation authority it needs to meet the publishing requirements.
Because these requirements are mandatory, the SOS reserves the right to request funding to meet
the cost of the publishing requirements if the Governor and the General Assembly again change
the amount or continue to not designate it as an estimated appropriation.
Oversight has reflected, in this fiscal note, the state potentially reimbursing local political
subdivisions the cost of having this joint resolution voted on during a special election in fiscal
year 2024. This reflects the decision made by the Joint Committee on Legislative Research that
the cost of the elections should be shown in the fiscal note. The next scheduled statewide
primary election is in August 2024 and the next scheduled general election is in November 2024
(both in FY 2025). It is assumed the subject within this proposal could be on one of these ballots;
however, it could also be on a special election called for by the Governor (a different date). L.R. No. 2757H.01P
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Therefore, Oversight will reflect a potential election cost reimbursement to local political
subdivisions in FY 2024.
Officials from the Missouri House of Representatives, the Missouri Senate, the Platte County
Board of Elections, Greene County Clerk’s Office, and the St. Louis County Board of
Elections each assume the proposal will have no fiscal impact on their respective organizations.
Oversight does not have any information to the contrary. Therefore, Oversight will reflect a zero
impact in the fiscal note for these agencies.
House Amendment 1 (HA1)
Oversight notes that HA1 removes Section 25 which required every voting machine used for the
purpose of counting and tabulating results in the state of Missouri to be tested and certified as
secure prior to each election in which the machine will be used. Therefore, Oversight will
remove the potential fiscal impact that was in the fiscal note for the introduced joint resolution
regarding testing and verifying voting machines.
Oversight only reflects the responses received from state agencies and political subdivisions;
however, other local election authorities and county clerks were requested to respond to this
proposed legislation but did not. A listing of political subdivisions included in the Missouri
Legislative Information System (MOLIS) database is available upon request.
FISCAL IMPACT – State GovernmentFY 2024
(10 Mo.)
FY 2025FY 2026GENERAL REVENUETransfer Out - SOS - reimbursement of
local election authority election costs if
a special election is called by the
Governor
$0 or (More
than
$10,000,000)*$0$0
ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON
GENERAL REVENUE
$0 or (More
than
$10,000,000)*$0$0
*SOS has updated the estimated cost of a statewide special election after examining actual
reimbursement costs for the General Primary and General Election during 2022. L.R. No. 2757H.01P
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FISCAL IMPACT – Local GovernmentFY 2024
(10 Mo.)
FY 2025FY 2026LOCAL POLITICAL
SUBDIVISIONS
Transfer In - Local Election
Authorities - reimbursement of election
costs by the State for a special election
$0 or More
than
$10,000,000*$0$0
Costs - Local Election Authorities -
cost of a special election if called for by
the Governor
$0 or (More
than
$10,000,000)*$0$0
ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON
LOCAL POLITICAL
SUBDIVISIONS$0 $0 $0
*SOS has updated the estimated cost of a statewide special election after examining actual
reimbursement costs for the General Primary and General Election during 2022.
FISCAL IMPACT – Small Business
No direct fiscal impact to small businesses would be expected as a result of this proposal.
FISCAL DESCRIPTION
Upon voter approval, this Constitutional amendment specifies that only citizens of the United
States are considered legal voters, that all elections shall be by paper ballot or any mechanical
method prescribed by law, that voters are entitled to only one vote for each office or issue on a
ballot, and that the candidate receiving the greatest number of votes in a primary election shall be
the only candidate for that party in the following general election.
This legislation is not federally mandated, would not duplicate any other program and would not
require additional capital improvements or rental space. L.R. No. 2757H.01P
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SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Office of the Secretary of State
Missouri House of Representatives
Missouri Senate
Platte County Board of Elections
Greene County Clerk’s Office
St. Louis County Board of Elections
Julie MorffRoss StropeDirectorAssistant DirectorMay 2, 2023May 2, 2023