Missouri Decides Constitutional Amendments

Voters went to the polls on Tuesday, November 5, to decide who will fill key office positions in the Missouri government. Missourians also had a chance to cast a vote for several statewide issues, including legalized sports betting, abortion and another minimum wage hike.

Amendment 2

Missourians were in favor of legalized sports betting. Amendment 2 is said to create new opportunities for Missouri to retain sports betting revenue previously lost to neighboring states. The measure establishes a 10% tax on betting revenue. Proceeds are supposed to go for public education, programs for compulsive gambling prevention, and the gaming commission, but details were fuzzy to most voters. 

Amendment 3

Amendment 3, to overturn Missouri’s abortion ban eked by with just 51.7% of the vote. Amendment 3 restores the right to have an abortion up to the point in a pregnancy when the fetus is likely to survive outside of the uterus. It gives state lawmakers some say in regulating abortion after fetal survivability, which is around six months. There would be exceptions for the life, mental and physical health of the mother regardless of fetal survivability.

Amendment 5

Amendment 5 to license a new casino on the Osage River near Bagnell Dam failed by over 52% of the vote.

Amendment 6

About 61% of voters struck down this amendment that would have reinstated a $3 court fee to help fund the Missouri Sheriff’s Retirement System. The funding would have been used for current and former sheriffs, circuit attorneys, and prosecuting attorneys.

This was not a tax on the general public, but a court fee charged to defendants in the Missouri court system. Opponents argue that reinstating the fee could lead to more drivers receiving tickets, although there is no data to support that assumption.

Amendment 7

Missourians also voted for Amendment 7 which clarifies that only U.S. citizens may to vote in Missouri elections. It also bans ranked choice voting where voters rank their choices instead of voting for a winner.

Proposition A

Proposition A, which will raise the state’s minimum wage and mandate sick leave for all employees, passed by 57.6% of Missouri voters.

Missouri has given its workers minimum wage increases over the last several years, and residents wanted another. Missouri’s current minimum wage of $12.30 an hour will increase next year to $13.75 an hour, then to $15 an hour in 2026. Missouri’s minimum wage will also be adjusted each year based on the consumer price index.

Brian Watts contributed to this story.

No Excuse Absentee Voting Now Open

No Excuse, absentee in-person ballots are now available to Missouri Voters at their local election office. Residents must show an official, government-issued photo to cast an absentee in-person ballot.

On the ballot this August include races for governor, state treasurer, attorney general, secretary of state, U.S. Congressional seats, and U.S. Senator. Seats will also be decided in the Missouri House and Senate.

There are also two proposed constitutional amendments up to voters next month. One would create a property tax exemption for childcare centers and the other would increase minimum funding for the Kansas City Police Department, which is run by the state.

Locally, The Kearney Fire and Rescue Protection District has two questions in the August election for district voters to consider. If approved the initiatives will fund much-needed equipment, additional staff and a second location.

Residents of the Kearney Fire District will be voting on Question 1 and Question 2 in the August ballot. Question 1 asks for an extension of the current bond that passed in 2010.

Question 2 asks for a half-cent sales tax increase. Funding from the sales tax will be used for funding new staff positions at the second station, funding the increased operating costs of the second station including utilities, personal protective gear, and building maintenance.

No excuse absentee voting is allowed until the day before the election. The primary election is on August 6. The Clay County election office is located at 100 W. Mississippi St. in Liberty.

Brian Watts contributed to this story.