The Missouri Voter Protection Coalition (MOVPC) is a non-partisan statewide network. Its voter advocates work to secure the right to vote in Missouri.
Legislation is happening and we should all be aware of how our vote is affected. Today, being an an informed citizen means, you need to find organizations that align with your beliefs. Follow them to stay aware of the issues you care about. If voting rights is something you care deeply about I would encourage you to visit MOVPC Website. Those that join get email updates on issues impacting voting rights.
They have a Legislative Tracker, that tracks the bills affecting MO voting rights.
Navigating Immigration Enforcement in St. Charles County
With recent changes to Missouri state law and new partnerships between law enforcement and ICE, it’s important for our neighbors to stay informed. Here is what you need to know about how immigration enforcement currently works in St. Charles City, St. Peters, O’Fallon, Wentzville, and the surrounding county:
1. The Highway Patrol is Now Partnered with ICE 🛣️
As of 2025, the Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) has entered a 287(g) Task Force agreement. This means troopers patrolling our highways (I-70, I-64, etc.) are trained and authorized to act as immigration officers during routine traffic stops.
2. Local Police Status 🚔
Local departments like St. Charles City, St. Peters, O’Fallon and Wentzville PD do not have formal 287(g) “deputization” agreements. However, they do share fingerprint data with federal databases during jail bookings through the “Secure Communities” program.
3. Your Rights are Still Yours ⚖️
Regardless of your status, you have constitutional rights:
The Right to Remain Silent: You do not have to answer questions about where you were born or your immigration status.
The Right to a Lawyer: If detained, do not sign any documents without speaking to an attorney.
Warrants Matter: You do not have to let anyone into your home or car without a judicial warrant signed by a judge. (An “ICE Warrant” or Form I-200 is generally not enough for entry without consent.)
Official Information on 287(g):
ICE List of Participating Agencies: Verify active agreements directly.
These are unsettling times. The future feels uncertain. This fear can tempt us to withdraw. It makes us keep our heads down and hope someone else will speak up.
But history reminds us that democracy doesn’t disappear all at once. It erodes when ordinary people are convinced their voices no longer matter.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. warned us of this moment with clarity. He used moral force to emphasize his message: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
Speaking out doesn’t always mean shouting. Sometimes it means asking hard questions. It involves telling the truth plainly. It requires showing up when it’s uncomfortable. It also means refusing to accept the normalization of injustice. Democracy is not self-sustaining—it depends on participation, vigilance, and moral courage from regular people.
This is a time not to surrender to fear. Instead, choose responsibility. We must be responsible to each other, to the next generation, and to the idea that self-government is worth defending.
We are still here. Our voices still count. And using them matters—now more than ever.
Be certain to check out the calendars on our website. Greater St. Louis County Calendar has many informative events. Ways for us to be engaged citizens. In reviewing the events I realized for the first time that Wentzville has an annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration.
Open to the public, here are the details for this years event.
Annual MLK Celebration – Founder Barbara Love
Join us for an inspiring evening celebrating unity, resilience, and community! Monday, January 19, 2026.
Wentzville Methodist Church 725 Wall Street Wentzville, MO 63385
We are gathering with other protest organizations from across St Louis to honor the life of Renee Nicole Good, who was murdered by an ICE agent. This candlelight vigil is an act of remembrance and a public declaration: from cities across the United States, we are watching, and we are demanding accountability.
The vigil will take place Friday, January 9, 2026, at 6:00 PM, at the corner of Eager and S. Brentwood Road in Brentwood, where we will line the sidewalks in solidarity. We will provide as many candles as possible, but please bring them if you have them.
Regulation isn’t just a burden — it can protect consumers, workers, and fair competition.
I strongly encourage you to click on the link to view the entire episode. I wanted to give a summary of the Molly Jong-Fast “Project 2029: Why Regulation Will Make Democrats Popular Again.” This is Episode 2 of the Project 2029: A Reimagining series.
In the second episode, journalist Molly Jong-Fast explains how regulation and antitrust enforcement are crucial tools. These tools are important for defending the American public against unchecked private power. She and her guests show how regulation helps guarantee fairness, protects individual rights and preserves economic freedom.
📌 Key Points from the Video/Discussion
• Regulation as a positive tool: Voters don’t hate government. They hate feeling unprotected. When policy clearly improves daily life and someone takes credit for it political popularity follows. Regulation isn’t just a burden — it can protect consumers, workers, and fair competition. When people see tangible benefits (like more fair markets and protections), it can boost approval for the party that champions those policies
• Antitrust enforcement matters: Breaking up monopolies and enforcing antitrust laws helps smaller businesses and consumers. Antitrust enforcement lowers prices, raises wages, protects democracy, and keeps the economy working for people instead of monopolies.
• Political strategy angle: Instead of shying away from regulation as “too bureaucratic,” Democrats should embrace their role. They can shape fair markets and economic safeguards. This approach can improve their political standing leading up to 2029. Targeted action that brings meaningful benefits to Americans will result in a stronger coalition.
🎯 Central Message Regulation makes Democrats popular when it’s framed as protection from powerful interests. It becomes more popular when it is felt in everyday life. It should not be viewed as abstract governance.
Money and Corruption in Politics – Silencing the voice of the Voter
Before Citizens United, there were limits on how much corporations and unions could spend on election ads. After the ruling, those limits disappeared. Outside groups can now pour millions into TV ads, online ads, and mailers.
While I strongly encourage you to click on the link to view the entire episode, I wanted to give a summary of the Molly Jong-Fast “Project 2029: Campaign Finance Reform Comes First” YouTube video (Episode 1 of the Project 2029: A Reimagining series):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLz2BzCx1ZY
📹 Overview
In the premiere episode, journalist Molly Jong-Fast frames campaign finance reform as the most urgent first step to fixing American politics. She argues that money’s overwhelming influence in elections — especially since the Citizens United decision — has warped priorities in Washington and undermined democracy.
📌 Key Points from the Video/Discussion
• Campaign finance reform must come first: Jong-Fast explains that without addressing how money flows into politics, it’s hard to solve other problems — from policy gridlock to policymaking that favors wealthy donors over voters.
• Citizens United’s impact: The episode highlights how the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United ruling opened the floodgates for unlimited spending in elections by corporations and wealthy interests, shifting power away from ordinary voters.
• Experts featured: The video includes voices like Harvard’s Lawrence Lessig, Tiffany Muller of End Citizens United, Michael Waldman of the Brennan Center for Justice, and other campaign finance reform advocates. They explain how big money influences policy and why reform is essential.
• Call to action: Beyond diagnosing the problem, the video discusses possible paths for reform — both at the federal and state levels — and encourages viewer engagement and activism around those solutions.
🎯 Central Message Money in politics isn’t just a side issue — it’s the first problem to solve if the U.S. is going to restore public trust and make government accountable to everyday people rather than powerful donors.
Please, take the time to view the entire episode and be certain to ask Candidates what they intend to do to reform the harm caused by Citizens United.
This petition seeks to overturn the new congressional map passed by the Missouri legislature in September 2025. The campaign needs to collect approximately 117,000 signatures by December 11, 2025, to place the measure on the November 2026 ballot.If successful, voters would decide whether to accept or reject the gerrymandered map.
This petition aims to protect citizens’ ability to use the initiative process and prevent the legislature from overturning voter-approved measures. The amendment would expand the initiative and referendum petition process by making it a fundamental right, allow courts to revise ballot summaries through lawsuits, prohibit the legislature from weakening initiative powers, and prevent the legislature from repealing laws enacted through voter initiatives without 80% approval from both chambers. The campaign needs approximately 300,000 signatures by December 31 to qualify for the 2026 ballot. This effort directly counters a GOP-backed constitutional amendment (HJR3) that would require citizen-led initiatives to pass not only statewide but also in all eight congressional districts—a requirement that would not apply to amendments proposed by the legislature itself.
This organization is collecting signatures for two separate petitions. One would amend the state constitution to define marriage as “between two consenting adults,” protecting LGBTQ+ marriage rights if the federal Supreme Court ruling is overturned. The second petition would expand Missouri’s anti-discrimination laws to include sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, and marital status.
This petition seeks to make education a fundamental right for Missouri children and require the state to maintain “adequate, thorough, and uniform high quality free public schools” in every district. The measure aims to address inequality between school districts across the state.
