COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH
OVERSIGHT DIVISION
FISCAL NOTE
L.R. No.:4535H.01I Bill No.:HJR 104 Subject:Elections; Constitutional Amendments Type:Original Date:February 19, 2024Bill Summary:This proposal modifies constitutional provisions about elections and voting.
FISCAL SUMMARY
ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON GENERAL REVENUE FUNDFUND AFFECTEDFY 2025FY 2026FY 2027
General Revenue*
$0 or (More than
$8,000,000)$0$0
Total Estimated Net
Effect on General
Revenue
$0 or (More than
$8,000,000)**$0$0
*The potential fiscal impact of “(More than $8,000,000)” 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 2025FY 2026FY 2027Total Estimated Net
Effect on Other State
Funds $0$0$0
Numbers within parentheses: () indicate costs or losses. L.R. No. 4535H.01I
Bill No. HJR 104
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February 19, 2024
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ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON FEDERAL FUNDSFUND AFFECTEDFY 2025FY 2026FY 2027Total Estimated Net
Effect on All Federal
Funds $0$0$0
ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON FULL TIME EQUIVALENT (FTE)FUND AFFECTEDFY 2025FY 2026FY 2027Total 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 2025FY 2026FY 2027Local Government$0*$0 or (Unknown)$0 or (Unknown)
*Transfer out and transfer in net to zero if the Governor calls a special election. L.R. No. 4535H.01I
Bill No. HJR 104
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February 19, 2024
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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 $8 million based on the cost of the 2023
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 $60,000 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 2026). 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. 4535H.01I
Bill No. HJR 104
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Therefore, Oversight will reflect a potential election cost reimbursement to local political
subdivisions in FY 2025.
In response to this legislation the Greene County Clerk states if any voting machine is
prohibited they would have to hand-tally.
The range of costs based off of these hand-tallying would be 95,772.69 to 513,065.34 for a
Presidential Election.
If these Sections are to institute that ONLY two election judges are to be the designated counters
and then, the other two election judges would be the recording judges at each polling location it
is estimated that Greene County would need one polling location per 400 active voters. This
would take the Greene County polling location number from 76 assigned locations to 576
(575.80) polling locations.
Average Polling Location Cost per Location: 1,452 (416 for supplies, 100 for rent, 11 for
delivery, and 925 for election judge stipends).
Total Polling Location Estimated Cost: 836,260
The cost estimate would be in total for the range of 95,773 to 836,260 in addition to all of the
other election costs required by statute and standard practices.
Oversight notes that only the Greene County Clerk responded to this fiscal note request.
Since other counties may incur a cost Oversight is presenting the fiscal impact as $0 or
(Unknown) costs to local governments.
Oversight notes that Section 25 requires every voting machine used for the purpose of counting
and tabulating results in the state of Missouri shall be tested and certified as secure prior to each
election in which the machine will be used.
Officials from the Missouri Senate, the Missouri House of Representatives, the Platte County
Board of Elections, the Jackson County Election Board, the St. Louis City Board of
Elections 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.
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. L.R. No. 4535H.01I
Bill No. HJR 104
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February 19, 2024
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FISCAL IMPACT – State GovernmentFY 2025
(10 Mo.)
FY 2026FY 2027GENERAL REVENUETransfer Out - SOS - reimbursement of
local election authority election costs if
a special election is called by the
Governor
$0 or (More
than
$8,000,000)*$0$0
ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON
GENERAL REVENUE
$0 or (More
than
$8,000,000)*$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.
FISCAL IMPACT – Local GovernmentFY 2025
(10 Mo.)
FY 2026FY 2027LOCAL POLITICAL
SUBDIVISIONS
Transfer In - Local Election
Authorities - reimbursement of election
costs by the State for a special election
$0 or More
than
$8,000,000*$0$0
Costs – Local Election Authorities
Testing and certifying voting machines$0
$0 or
(Unknown)
$0 or
(Unknown)
Costs - Local Election Authorities -
cost of a special election if called for by
the Governor
$0 or (More
than
$8,000,000)*$0$0
ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON
LOCAL POLITICAL
SUBDIVISIONS$0
$0 or
(Unknown)
$0 or
(Unknown)
*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. L.R. No. 4535H.01I
Bill No. HJR 104
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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 resolution requires every voting machine in use by an election authority to be tested and
certified in accordance with federal standards prior to each election in which it is used. Further, it
provides that the General Assembly may by law, require or prohibit the use of any voting
machine.
This legislation is not federally mandated, would not duplicate any other program and would not
require additional capital improvements or rental space.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Office of the Secretary of State
Missouri House of Representatives
Missouri Senate
Platte County Board of Elections
Jackson County Board of Elections
St. Louis City Board of Elections
St. Louis County Board of Elections
Greene County Clerk’s Office
Julie MorffRoss StropeDirectorAssistant DirectorFebruary 19, 2024February 19, 2024