How can you file a complaint against a Missouri official? Inside ethics process
Allegations of corruption and questionable ethics have long permeated through politics. Missouri is no exception.
Controversial gifts and donations, illegal use of public funds, steak dinners, closed-door meetings and conflicts of interest.
For more than 30 years, the Missouri Ethics Commission has been tasked with enforcing the state’s campaign finance and ethics laws. The six-member commission is intended to serve as Missouri’s ethics watchdog, a legal barrier that protects the state against abuse and corruption.
But the ethics panel’s ability to investigate complaints has been severely hampered in recent years by a shortage of commissioners. A recent report argues the commission has been “quietly dismantled” through inaction by state leaders.
While well known to officials, lobbyists and other politicos for its role in providing transparency to campaign donations and finances, the commission performs its ethics investigations in secret.
So, how do those ethics complaints work? And can you file one yourself? The Star compiled a set of answers detailing how the key commission operates and how citizens can seek to hold their elected officials accountable.
What is the Ethics Commission?
Established by state law in 1991, the Missouri Ethics Commission oversees and enforces the state’s campaign finance, ethics, conflicts of interest and lobbying laws.
The commission’s website also serves as a key tool for tracking political donations to candidates, political action committees and ballot measures during elections.
What types of complaints does the commission investigate?
The Missouri Ethics Commission receives complaints regarding violations of the following, according to its website:
Campaign finance laws
Personal Financial Disclosure laws
Lobbying laws
Conflict of interest laws
Codes of conduct adopted by a department, division, state agency, and state institutions of higher learning
Orders, ordinances, or resolutions of any political subdivision relating to the official conduct of officials or employees, including constitutional provisions or state statutes
Can you file a complaint?
Yes. Any “natural person” (a human being, not a corporation) can file a complaint.
To file one, a person must complete an official complaint form. The form must then be notarized and mailed or delivered to the Missouri Ethics Commission at 3411A Knipp Drive, Suite A, Jefferson City, MO 65109 or P.O. Box 1370, Jefferson City, MO 65102.
What complaints does the commission not investigate?
The following types of complaints are not investigated by the commission, according to its website:
Complaints that refer to conduct occurring prior to the expiration of the statute of limitations for criminal conduct
Are related to conduct occurring more than two years prior to the complaint date and are not criminal violations
Alleges misconduct by a candidate for public office, other than failure to file timely and accurately, a Personal Financial Disclosure statement or campaign finance disclosure reports, from 60 days prior to the primary until after the general election
Provides any allegation against a candidate or a candidate committee, within 15 days prior to the primary or general election in which the candidate is running for office. Those complaints can be filed after the election.
The commission can also refuse to investigate any conduct that is the subject of civil or criminal litigation. It can also dismiss complaints considered to be frivolous, according to the commission’s website.
Is the commission functional?
The commission has been hobbled by vacancies over the past two years, resulting in dozens of complaints that have been effectively dismissed with no investigation.
Missouri law requires the six-member commission to complete an investigation within 90 days after receiving a complaint. At least four members are required to investigate and vote on any action related to the complaint.
But as of this week, only two individuals currently sit on the panel.
The commission long struggled with vacancies under the tenure of Parson. That issue has continued under Kehoe, who took office in January and has yet to appoint new members, who then must be confirmed by the state Senate.
This story was originally published July 8, 2025 at 12:51 PM.
