Did puppy mills kill democracy in Missouri?

‘Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time"… Winston Churchill

“The governor’s action today demonstrates the absolute disdain Republicans have for working Missourians," Ashley Aune, Missouri House Democratic leader on the repeal of sick leave that voters had just approved in 2024.

Missouri, the Show-Me State, is also known as the puppy mill capital of America. In 2010, a group of citizens succeeded in putting the issue on a statewide ballot- the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act. Dogs for breeding were being kept in inhumane conditions and sold to pet vendors nationwide. The bill was to add new limits, penalties, and safety procedures for all state dog breeding operations, and it passed that year by 3%.

But before the puppy mill bill could take effect, breeders and big agriculture let their displeasure known in the state Capital of Jefferson City. Compliant legislators then overturned the will of the voters and passed a new law that significantly weakened the law that voters had just passed. This new law didn't have to go before voters again, and it only needed the governors' signature.

Today, in 2025, Missouri is still known as the puppy mill capital of the US, with the most breeders of any state identified in the Humane Society's nationwide "Horrible Hundred". While some progress was made and some of the worst breeders were shut down, a bad precedent was set that year for the legislature overriding the will of the states' voters.

This precedent has continued for over a decade as the Missouri legislature has delayed, overturned, or obstructed citizen initiative petitions that the ruling Republican party doesn't like. In a functioning democracy, politicians who defy the voters would get tossed out, but that hasn't happened. For whatever reasons, one party has a lock on Jefferson City and feels like there's no need to be responsive or accountable.

In 2018, voters approved yet another citizen initiative- Clean Missouri, an attempt to stop gerrymandering of legislative districts. Gerrymandering is one of the ways a ruling party can lock out possible opposition, and Clean Missouri got overturned in 2020 with a sneaky new tactic called "ballot candy". How politicians word a ballot referendum is critical to how the voters perceive it, and Amendment 3 was sprinkled with unrelated campaign finance laws and confusing language. Another precedent was set.

In 2020 Missourians passed Medicaid expansion, and the legislature did their best to delay its implementation. In 2024 voters approved abortion in some instances, and sick leave for workers. Jefferson City has put abortion rights back on the ballot for 2026 without mentioning it specifically, while singlehandedly dumping paid sick leave after just a few weeks of it taking effect.

In an effective democracy, we wouldn't NEED citizen initiative petitions. Legislators would be tuned into the voters and pass laws accordingly. We obviously don't have that now. Voters of both parties dislike the concept of gerrymandering, yet here we are getting ready to strip Kansas City voters of their representation rights to appease one person.

Based on these events, Missouri voters require the option to use ballot initiatives when necessary. Jefferson City has heard, and decided to squash the entire idea. Amendment 4 next year will allow any one of eight Missouri congressional districts to veto any constitutional amendment, even if it gets a large majority statewide. This will likely prevent anyone from seriously attempting the lengthy and expensive ballot process ever again.

   A majority of voters can sometimes get things wrong, but I trust them more than most politicians. Democracy can be messy, but it's still the best system we've got. All I know is that once politicians start to think that they're unaccountable and untouchable, we're all in real trouble.

2026 will be a watershed year for democracy in the state of Missouri. To combat these affronts to democracy, the Respect MO Voters petition is still circulating all over the state and many voters that I've spoken with are enthusiastic about it. Expect to hear a lot more about it in the year to come.

https://respectmovoters.org/