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Read. Follow. Verify.Missouri House Bill 2381 prohibits private and foreign donations for election administration and penalizes violations as a class B misdemeanor
Last action · January 8, 2026: Referred: Elections(H)Sponsor: John Simmons
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What This Bill Would Do
Missouri HB 2381 prohibits government entities and election officers from soliciting, accepting, or using private or foreign donations for . The bill requires strict certification standards for organizations partnering with election officials, mandates public disclosure of private-capacity involvements by election officers under penalty of perjury, and establishes a penalty for violations.
Local government entities and election officials face new restrictions and certification mandates when sourcing services or memberships, while registered voters gain the right to file civil enforcement actions against violators.
- House Bill 2381 was introduced during the 2026 Regular Session of the Missouri General Assembly by Representative John Simmons. context
- The bill targets private financial contributions and outside organizational partnerships used in local and state election administration. context
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.
Government entities
Government entities are prohibited from accepting private or foreign donations for election administration and must enforce new vendor certification rules.
Election officers
Election officers face new restrictions on accepting outside support, stringent certification rules for service providers, and mandatory public disclosures for private-capacity memberships.
Registered voters
Registered voters are granted explicit standing to bring a cause of action to enforce compliance with the section.
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 election offices still accept small, incidental items for running elections?
What happens if an election officer joins an outside program in a private capacity?
Who can enforce these new election funding rules?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
4 actions- Jan 8, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred: Elections(H)
- Jan 8, 2026HouseFloorRead Second Time (H)
- Jan 7, 2026HouseIntroducedRead First Time (H)
- Dec 11, 2025HouseIntroducedPrefiled (H)
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying 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.
Comprehensive Prohibition on Private Election Funding
The measure establishes a blanket restriction preventing government bodies from accepting non-governmental support for running elections while imposing rigorous compliance requirements on associated vendors.
Connected Entities
Sources
house.mo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy80Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz45Current news / social attention level
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