The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Missouri bans private and foreign election funding and restricts election officer memberships
Last action · May 15, 2026: Informal Calendar S Bills for PerfectionSponsor: Ben Brown
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What This Bill Would Do
Missouri prohibits government entities and election officers from accepting private donations or non-governmental funding for election administration, while barring them from joining groups that receive foreign funding unless strict certification rules are met. Election officers who join such groups in a private capacity must post conspicuous public disclosures and undergo public hearings. Violations of these provisions are classified as a .
Local election offices and political subdivisions must completely alter how they fund administrative operations and vet outside organizational memberships, exposing election officials to potential criminal misdemeanor charges and citizen lawsuits for noncompliance.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
election officers
Election officers face new restrictions on accepting non-governmental funds, must vet organizational memberships with sworn certifications, and must follow strict website disclosure rules for private memberships under threat of misdemeanor charges.
government entities
State, county, and local government entities are banned from accepting private election administration funding, voiding any conflicting local ordinances.
registered voters
Registered voters gain explicit standing to bring a cause of action in court to enforce the provisions of the statute.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can local election offices still accept small donations or items?
What happens if an election officer joins an election-related organization in their personal capacity?
Who can enforce these new election administration restrictions?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently on floor. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Passed.
Procedural history
8 actions- May 15, 2026SenateInformal Calendar S Bills for Perfection
- Apr 15, 2026SenateBill Placed on Informal Calendar
- Apr 8, 2026SenateReported from S Local Government, Elections and Pensions Committee w/SCS
- Feb 9, 2026SenateCommitteeSCS Voted Do Pass S Local Government, Elections and Pensions Committee (5016S.02C)
- Feb 2, 2026SenateHearing Conducted S Local Government, Elections and Pensions Committee
- Jan 8, 2026SenateFloorSecond Read and Referred S Local Government, Elections and Pensions Committee
Show 2 earlier actions
- Jan 7, 2026SenateIntroducedS First Read
- Dec 1, 2025SenatePrefiled
Version history & redline
2 versions on fileLobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Prohibition of External Election Subsidies
The measure shifts local election administration from a mixed public-private funding model to a strictly governmental funding model, backed by criminal penalties and private citizen enforcement.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.senate.mo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance80How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy75Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz50Current news / social attention level
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