Missouri and Kansas voters will head to the polls on Aug. 4, 2026, for primary elections that will narrow the field for new leaders and decide important issues in their states.
Kansas U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall has multiple challengers for his seat, a field that voters will narrow in the August primary. The Kansas governor's race is open, with Gov. Laura Kelly unable to run again.
Primaries for Missouri's 4th, 5th and 6th congressional districts are also on the ballot, using the mid-decade redistricted maps drawn by the Republican-controlled state legislature that drastically changed incumbent Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II's district.
Both states have constitutional amendments on the August ballot — Kansas will decide whether to elect its state Supreme Court judges, and Missourians will weigh in on state income taxes and other major issues.
Below, find information on how to vote, and then check out election primers from KCUR and our partners for the items on your ballot.
Key election dates
- Voter registration deadline for August 4 election: July 8 in Missouri, July 14 in Kansas
- Absentee voting with an excuse (in-person) begins: June 23
- No-excuse absentee voting begins: July 21
- Absentee ballot request deadline: Application received by July 22
- Absentee ballot return deadline: Aug. 4 (Election Day)
- Absentee ballot return deadline (military and overseas): noon on Aug. 7 in Missouri, Aug. 4 in Kansas
How can I see what's on my ballot and find my polling place?
Go to the Missouri Secretary of State's website where you'll verify your voter registration. You'll be able to find your individual ballot and polling place.
Polling hours on Aug. 4, 2026
Polls are required to be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026 in Kansas, though polling places can open as early as 6 a.m. and stay open until 8 p.m.
In Missouri, polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
2026 Missouri statewide elections
U.S. House of Representatives
Three House seats are up for election this year. These three — the 4th, 5th and 6th districts — were redrawn during Missouri's highly contested mid-decade redistricting to create a state map that favors Republicans, at President Donald Trump's request.
KCUR has guides to who is running in the U.S. congressional districts in Missouri.
State Auditor
Missouri auditor Scott Fitzpatrick is running for reelection. His tenure has included examinations of Independence, Missouri's four-day school week and Jackson County's property tax increases.
KCUR's Up To Date interviewed Fitzpatrick in June.
Gerald Wistrand is challenging Fitzpatrick in the Republican primary.
STLPR interviewed Quentin Wilson, one of the Democratic candidates for auditor, in December.
Gregory Upchurch is running against Wilson in the Democratic primary.
Dustin Coffell is running as a Libertarian in the August primary.
Constitutional amendments
In late May, Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe placed four of Missouri's 2026 ballot questions on the August primary ballot.
Some highly anticipated statewide questions, including whether to effectively reinstate the state's abortion ban — which voters overwhelmingly repealed in 2024 — will wait until November.
Find a guide to Missouri's August 2026 ballot questions here.
- Amendment 1 asks voters to renew the Parks, Soil, and Water Tax, an over 40-year-old sales tax that helps keep admission to Missouri's state parks free and funds soil and water conservation programs.
- Amendment 2 asks voters statewide if they want to change the Missouri Constitution to effectively force Jackson County to have an elected, rather than an appointed, property assessor.
- Amendment 4 asks voters to make it more difficult for citizens to amend the Missouri Constitution through the initiative petition process. Proposed amendments placed on the ballot by the state legislature would still only need a simple majority.
- Amendment 5 requires Missouri to phase out the individual income tax and gives the General Assembly the authority to raise state sales taxes and broaden the range of goods and services that can be taxed without needing additional voter approval.
2026 Kansas statewide elections
Governor
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is prevented by term limits from seeking her office again, so this year's gubernatorial election will be heavily contested.
There’s a full slate of Republicans, including current Secretary of State Scott Schwab, Senate President Ty Masterson and Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt.
The Democrats include a pair of state senators, Cindy Holscher and Ethan Corson. Lt. Gov. David Toland indicated he would not seek any office in 2026, in order to focus on economic development projects.
U.S. Senate
Unlike the Kansas governor's office, which regularly switches between Republican and Democratic hands, a Democrat has not represented Kansas in the U.S. Senate since 1939.
Ahead of the 2026 elections, eight Democratic candidates have announced they will challenge first-term Republican Sen. Roger Marshall. Seven have filed with the Federal Election Commission.
Constitutional amendment: Electing Kansas Supreme Court justices
Kansas currently uses a merit-based system where a panel screens candidates to appoint state supreme court justices.
When there’s a vacancy on the court, this commission vets the candidates then sends three finalists to the governor to pick one.
But a constitutional amendment vote in August would return to directly electing justices on the Kansas Supreme Court.
Read more from Zach Boblitt of the Kansas News Service.
