JEFFERSON CITY, MO — On March 24, 2026, nonpartisan civic engagement groups in Missouri secured a major victory after the state Supreme Court upheld a ruling blocking four unlawful anti-voter provisions from going into effect that would have chilled the critical work of civic engagement groups. Following this ruling, nonpartisan civic engagement groups in the state can continue exercising their right to engage in political speech by helping Missourians register to vote — without the threat of harsh criminal sanctions.

Missouri’s House Bill 1878 (HB 1878), passed in 2022, included many strict and confusing prohibitions that would have subjected volunteers to drastic penalties, including fines, imprisonment, and even a permanent loss of their own right to vote.

The League of Women Voters of Missouri (LWVMO) and the Missouri State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (Missouri NAACP) — represented by Campaign Legal Center, the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri and the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition (MOVPC) — filed a lawsuit to challenge these provisions.

The Cole County Circuit Court responded to this lawsuit by granting a preliminary injunction that temporarily halted enforcement of these provisions. The circuit court then ruled in 2024 that these provisions violated the right of civic engagement groups to engage in pro-voter messaging. The state appealed this decision, and the Missouri Supreme Court then upheld the 2024 ruling. These four provisions will now remain permanently blocked.

“This ruling is ultimately a win for Missouri voters,” said Dr. Kay Park, President of the League of Women Voters of Missouri. “We are proud of our vital role in educating Missouri voters and promoting participation in our democracy. Voter engagement is not a crime, and the League is thrilled the state supreme court has finally affirmed our right to do our important work without fear. The League is proud to continue to fight to preserve and protect the right to vote for every Missouri citizen.”

"We celebrate this win from Missouri’s highest court firmly establishing the rights of all Missourians to engage in registration and civic engagement activities in their communities,” said Nimrod Chapel Jr., President of the Missouri State Conference of the NAACP. “History shows us why community voter registration and civic engagement work is so important, and especially critical to closing the voter registration and voter participation gap in black and brown communities. During Jim Crow, they unleashed fire hoses on those doing voter registration in black communities. This law would have limited who could register people to vote and imposed criminal penalties, including even loss of voting rights. The court’s ruling is an important win to ensuring the NAACP can fulfill its mission to close the voter registration gap and ensure the voices of all Missourians can be heard."

“This week’s ruling by the Missouri Supreme Court affirms that nonpartisan civic engagement groups serve a vital role in upholding the freedom to vote, and attempts to limit their right to exercise political speech violate the state’s constitution,” said Danielle Lang, the vice president for voting rights and rule of law at the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center. “The anti-voter provisions we challenged directly opposed the core principle that our democracy is strongest when voters can participate in the electoral process. Campaign Legal Center will continue to work alongside civic engagement groups in Missouri and nationwide to ensure that they can fulfill their mission of registering people to vote without fear of criminal prosecution simply for engaging in protected political speech.”

"This is a win for speech, democracy, and all current and future voters in Missouri," said Gillian Wilcox, Director of Litigation at the ACLU of Missouri. "The vital work of organizations like the League and the NAACP is necessary to help Missourians navigate a system that is deeply rooted with systemic barriers that unnecessarily impede Missourians from exercising their fundamental right to vote."

“This is an important victory for our democracy,” said Denise Lieberman, Director and General Counsel of the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition. “Community-driven voter registration and engagement activities are critical to helping voters have a voice, and the Missouri Supreme Court got it right that limiting who can participate and what they can say violates their right to political expression. Missourians should feel empowered to engage in a wide array of voter registration and civic engagement activities without fear of prosecution.”

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