Judge orders rewrite of ballot summary for Missouri public education initiative petition
Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins must rewrite the summary ballot language for an initiative petition that seeks to enshrine education as a fundamental right in the state’s constitution, a Cole County judge ruled Tuesday.
The Missouri Right to Education Initiative challenged the ballot language as “deceptive and prejudicial” in August, pointing to two bullet points it says draws conclusions that are not in the text of the amendment.
The proposed amendment seeks to add 23 words to the state’s constitution, making education a “fundamental right” and putting a duty on the state to provide “adequate, thorough, and uniform high quality free public schools.”
Hoskins’ summary says the amendment would “potentially eliminate existing state scholarship programs that provide direct aid to students with disabilities and low-income families” and “prevent the state from supporting educational choices other than free public schools.”
https://missouriindependent.com/2025/12/04/judge-orders-rewrite-of-ballot-summary-for-missouri-public-education-initiative-petition/