Mo. Rev. Stat. » Chapter 116
Missouri Revised Statutes

Mo. Rev. Stat. § 116.080 (2026)

Qualifications of circulator

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  116.080.  Qualifications of circulator — affidavit, notarization, penalty. — 1.  Each petition circulator shall be at least eighteen years of age and registered with the secretary of state.  Signatures collected by any circulator who has not registered with the secretary of state pursuant to this chapter on or before 5:00 p.m. on the final day for filing petitions with the secretary of state shall not be counted.  A petition circulator shall be deemed registered at the time such circulator delivers a signed circulator's affidavit pursuant to section 116.030, with respect to a referendum petition, or section 116.040, with respect to an initiative petition, to the office of the secretary of state.  No person shall qualify as a petition circulator who has been convicted of, found guilty of, or pled guilty to an offense involving forgery under the laws of this state or an offense under the laws of any other jurisdiction if that offense would be considered forgery under the laws of this state.

  2.  Each petition circulator shall subscribe and swear to the proper affidavit on each petition page such circulator submits before a notary public commissioned in Missouri.  When notarizing a circulator's signature, a notary public shall sign his or her official signature and affix his or her official seal to the affidavit only if the circulator personally appears before the notary and subscribes and swears to the affidavit in his or her presence.

  3.  Any circulator who falsely swears to a circulator's affidavit knowing it to be false is guilty of a class A misdemeanor punishable, notwithstanding the provisions of section 560.021* to the contrary, for a term of imprisonment not to exceed one year in the county jail or a fine not to exceed ten thousand dollars or both.

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(L. 1980 S.B. 658, A.L. 1999 H.B. 676, A.L. 2013 H.B. 117)

Effective 11-04-14

*Section 560.021 was repealed by S.B. 491, 2014, effective 1-01-17.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 4 cases, 1992–2019 · leading case: Comm. for a Healthy Future, Inc. v. Carnahan, 201 S.W.3d 503 (Mo. 2006).
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Comm. for a Healthy Future, Inc. v. Carnahan, 201 S.W.3d 503 (Mo. 2006). · cites it 3× “Although LEAs in the fifth congressional district had certified 25,133 signatures, or 1,606 more than the constitutional requirement, the Secretary of State deducted 1,880 signatures that appeared on pages circulated by persons who the secretary determined had not properly…”
Am. Civil Liberties Union of Missouri & Sara E. Baker v. John R. Ashcroft, 577 S.W.3d 881 (Mo. Ct. App. 2019). · cites it 2× “"Section 116.080 addresses the required qualifications of and registration requirements for an initiative petition circulator[.”
Ketcham v. Blunt, 847 S.W.2d 824 (Mo. Ct. App. 1992). “See § 116.080; United Labor Comm. v. Kirkpatrick, 572 S.”
Bradshaw v. Ashcroft, 559 S.W.3d 79 (Mo. Ct. App. 2018). “This language had previously appeared in section 116.080 RSMo 2000, but was removed from that statute effective November 4, 2014 and added instead to section 116.”
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