Happy Election Day! In-person polling places are open in Missouri from 6 a.m.-7 p.m. and in Kansas from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
Even though it's an off-year election (no presidential, U.S. Senate or statewide contests, you'll notice), Kansas City and its many surrounding towns still have some important reasons to get out and vote.
Kansas City, Missouri, has several ballot questions — including a sales tax that could determine the future of the public bus system. Cities across Johnson and Wyandotte county will vote on local council, mayor, school board and other consequential races.
Check out this rundown of the ballot in KCUR's voter guide, with information from our partners at the Shawnee Mission Post and the Kansas City Beacon.
Look up your polling location in Missouri and Kansas. And remember: If you are in line at the time that polls are closing, you have a right to cast a ballot, so stay in line!
Just note that results may take a while to come in, and some races may not be decided on election night. Be cautious about claims of fraud — documented cases of voter fraud are extremely rare and limited in scope.
Kansas City election results
Voter turnout in the city of Kansas City is just above 10%, according to unofficial results from the Kansas City Election Board. In areas of Jackson County outside of Kansas City, turnout was higher at 14.7%, according to the Jackson County Election Board.
Jackson County Question 1: Defeated
Voters in Jackson County declined to pass a local use tax to finance road and bridge construction projects, homelessness assistance, and courthouse repairs. (A use tax is a sales tax applied to online purchases from vendors outside Missouri.)
While the use tax had strong support among Kansas City voters, Jackson County residents outside of the city voted "no" by an almost 3-to-1 margin.
Kansas City Question 1: Passed
Kansas City voters overwhelmingly approved renewing a 3/8-cents city sales tax to subsidize the public bus transit system for another 10 years. The "yes" vote also received support from residents in Platte and Clay Counties.
Renewal of the transit tax means Kansas City consumers will continue to see a 0.375% sales tax on retail sales of property or services. It's one of the largest sources of local funding for the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority.
Kansas City Question 2: Passed
By more than a 2-1 margin, Kansas City voters voted "yes" on a question to remove about 5.4 acres of undeveloped and vacant land from the park system.
Johnson County election results
Johnson County saw the biggest turnout of the night, with an estimated 25.5% of voters casting a ballot, according to unofficial results from the Johnson County Election Board.
Notably, in Prairie Village, candidates opposed to more inclusive zoning laws made a strong showing in city council races. Candidates backed by "PV United," which opposes more affordable and multi-family housing options, won four out of their six races.
Some of the largest school districts in Johnson County also held school board races, where conservative challengers were mostly left defeated.
Issues of diversity initiatives, book bans and how to teach about race have made for contentious contests for the Shawnee Mission and Blue Valley school boards, but all eight open seats in the districts were won by incumbents, moderates or progressives.
Here are a list of races and the winning candidates, according to unofficial results. For additional coverage, check out our partners at the Shawnee Mission Post.
Mayoral races
- Leawood mayor: Marc Elkins
- Lenexa mayor: Julie Sayers
- Mission Woods mayor: Robert Tietze
- Olathe mayor: John W. Bacon
- Roeland Park mayor: Michael Poppa
- Shawnee mayor: Mickey Sandifer
- Westwood mayor: David E. Waters
- Westwood Hills mayor: Rosemary Podrebarac
City Council races
- Fairway City Council: Lee Story (Ward 1), Jerry Williams (Ward 2), Joseph Levin (Ward 3), Jenna Brofsky (Ward 4)
- Leawood City Council: Alan Sunkel (Ward 1), Sherrie Gayed (Ward 2), Lisa Harrison (Ward 3), Steven Kaster (Ward 4)
- Lenexa City Council: Courtney Eiterich (Ward 1), Mark Charlton (Ward 2), Chelsea Williamson (Ward 3), Christopher Herron (Ward 4)
- Merriam City Council: Jason Silvers (Ward 1), Whitney Yadrich (Ward 2), Bruce Kaldahl (Ward 3), Staci Chivetta (Ward 4)
- Mission City Council: Trent Boultinghouse (Ward 1), Mary Ryherd (Ward 2), Brian Schmid (Ward 3), Cheryl Carpenter Davis (Ward 4)
- Mission Hills City Council: Gregg Davidson (at-large), Andrew Weed (at-large), Eden Thorne (at-large)
- Olathe City Council: Robyn Essex (Ward 1), Dean Vakas (Ward 2), Matthew Schoonover (At Large)
- Overland Park City Council: Holly Grummert (Ward 1), Drew Mitrisin (Ward 2), Richard Borlaza (Ward 3), Gregg Riess (Ward 4), Inas Younis (Ward 5), Chris Newlin (Ward 6)
- Prairie Village City Council: Terry O'Toole (Ward 1), Inga Selders (Ward 2), Lori Sharp (Ward 3), Tyler Agniel (Ward 4), Nicholas Reddell (Ward 5), Ian Graves (Ward 6)
- Roeland Park City Council: Jan Faidley (Ward 1), Benjamin Dickens (Ward 2), Emily Haige (Ward 3), Matthew Lero (Ward 4), Miel Castagna-Herrera (Ward 4 unexpired term)
- Shawnee City Council: Sierra Whitted (Ward 1), Jeanie Murphy (Ward 2), Kurt Knappen (Ward 3), Laurel Burchfield (Ward 4)
- Westwood City Council: Holly Wimer (at-large), Laura Steele (at-large)
School board races
- Blue Valley School District: Jan Kessinger (Position 1), Patrick Hurley (Position 2), Jodie Dietz (Position 3), Clay Norkey (Position 7 at-large)
- Shawnee Mission School District: Mario Garcia III (Position 1), Jessica Hembree (Position 2), Jamie Borgman (Position 5), David Westbrook (Position 7 at-large)
- USD 232 De Soto: Chad Philhour (Position 1), Ashley Spaulding (Position 2), Stephanie Makalous (Position 3), Anh-Nguyet Nguyen (Position 7 at-large)
Other notable races
- Johnson County Community College Board of Trustees (top three vote-getters win seats): Laura Smith-Everett, Valerie Jennings, Greg Mitchell
- Water District Board: Melanie Kraft (Position 1), Ullyses Wright (Position 2), Whitney Wilson (Position 6), Renee Dinsmore (Position 7)
Wyandotte County election results
The Wyandotte County Election Office reported a voter turnout of 14.9%, according to its unofficial election results.
Here are a list of races and the winning candidates, according to unofficial results.
Unified Government
- District 1 at-large: Melissa Brune Bynum
- District 2 (Armourdale and Riverview): Bill Burns
- District 3 (southeast Kansas City, Kansas): Christian Ramirez
- District 4 (central Kansas City, Kansas): Evelyn Hill
- District 6 (southern Kansas City, Kansas): Philip Lopez
Other notable races
- Register of Deeds: Susie Werner Nelson
- Board of Public Utilities at-large position 3: Rose Mulvany Henry
- Board of Public Utilities district 1: Stevie A. Wakes, Sr.
- Board of Public Utilities district 3: Brett Parker
- USD 202 school board (top 4 candidates win): Daniel Soptic, Theresa Tillery, Becky Billigmeier, Bryan Fishbaugh
- USD 203 school board (top 4 candidates win): Allison Armstrong, Jeb Vader, Larry Beashore, Ashley Biondi
- USD 204 school board (top 4 candidates win): David J. Pierce, Jennifer L. McConico, Angie Thomas, Christopher Russell
- USD 500 school board (top 4 candidates win): Randy Lopez, Robert L. Milan Jr., Valdenia C. Winn, Yolanda S. Clark
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