Missouri and Kansas voters will head to the polls on Nov. 3, 2026, for elections that will select new public officials and decide important issues in their states.
In Kansas, U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall is running for reelection in a race that the nonpartisan Cook Political Report moved from "solidly" to "likely" Republican after Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton won his primary. Republicans also hope to reclaim the Kansas governor's office now that Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly has termed out.
Missouri's 4th, 5th and 6th congressional districts are also on the ballot — but with different district lines than in the August primary. After a protracted legal battle over Republican redistricting, Missouri must now use the 2022 congressional map instead of the 2025 map that would have disadvantaged Democrats. Voters in November will also decide a statewide referendum that could permanently block the redistricting plan.
Both states have constitutional amendments on the November ballot: Kansas will vote on whether only U.S. citizens may vote in an election, something that's already law; and Missourians will weigh in on abortion and other major issues.
Below, find information on how to vote in Missouri and Kansas, and then check out primers from KCUR and our partners for the items on your ballot.
These guides may be updated as we get closer to the election. (Last updated Sept. 15, 2026.)
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How to vote in Missouri and Kansas
Key election dates
- Missouri voter registration deadline for November election: Oct. 7, 2026
- Kansas voter registration deadline for November election: Oct. 13, 2026
- No-excuse absentee voting in Kansas: Oct. 14-Nov. 2, 2026
- No-excuse absentee voting in Missouri: Oct. 20-Nov. 2, 2026
- Missouri absentee ballot request deadline: Oct. 21, 2026
- Kansas absentee ballot request deadline: Oct. 27, 2026
- Absentee ballot return deadline: Close of polls on Nov. 3, 2026
- Election day: Nov. 3, 2026
- Absentee ballot return deadline (military and overseas): Noon on Nov. 7 in Missouri, Nov. 6 in Kansas
How do I register to vote in Missouri?
To vote in Missouri, you must be at least 18 years old (by Election Day), a U.S. citizen and a state resident. Then you have several options for registering:
- Fill out and submit your voter registration online. Make sure your digital signature matches your print one as closely as possible.
- You can also print and mail your registration form — although be careful of potential mail delays.
- Register in person at the county clerk’s office, Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) or other state agency.
- Request an application, which will be mailed to you. You’ll then have to mail it back or submit it in person. Again, be careful of potential mail delays.
How do I register to vote in Kansas?
To vote in Kansas, you must be a U.S. citizen, a state resident and at least 18 years old on or before Election Day.
Here are your options for registering to vote:
- Fill out an online form. You’ll need your Kansas driver’s license or non-driver ID.
- Fill out a paper form and return it to your county by mail, email, fax or in-person.
- Register in-person with your county.
How can I see what's on my ballot and find my polling place?
Go to the Missouri Secretary of State's website or the Kansas VoterView portal. There, you'll verify your voter registration and update your information if needed.
You'll also be able to find your individual ballot and polling place.
Polling hours on Nov. 3, 2026
Polls are required to be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026 in Kansas. However, in some places, 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.
Note that both Kansas and Missouri require photo ID to vote, and the accepted forms of identification differ in each state. If you don’t bring proper ID, you’ll have to cast a provisional ballot.
2026 Kansas City area elections
Jackson County Executive
For the first time in two decades, Jackson County voters will cast ballots for county executive in an election with no incumbent candidate defending the seat.
Democrat Stacy Lake clinched her party's nomination in the August primary. Her opponent is Republican Alan Rohlfing.
Jackson County Legislature
- 1st and 2nd District at-large (all Jackson County)
- 2nd District (Eastern Kansas City and northern Raytown)
- 3rd District (Independence, Sugar Creek, eastern Kansas City)
- 4th District (south Kansas City and Grandview)
- Learn more about the at-large candidates for Jackson County Legislature.
- Learn more about the in-district candidates for Jackson County Legislature.
2026 Missouri elections
U.S. House of Representatives
Three House seats that cover part of the Kansas City area are up for election this year. As of Sept. 10, voters will cast their ballots using the maps drawn and passed by the Missouri Legislature in 2022 (these are the same boundaries used in the 2024 election as well).
The 4th, 5th and 6th Congressional Districts were redrawn during Missouri's highly contested mid-decade redistricting to create a state map that favors Republicans, at the request of President Donald Trump. After several legal challenges, the U.S. Supreme Court reaffirmed the Missouri Supreme Court's ruling that election clerks should use the 2022 maps for November's election.
Here's who is running in the Kansas City-area U.S. congressional districts in Missouri.
- Missouri 4th District candidates: Republican Mark Alford (incumbent), Democrat Jordan Herrera
- Missouri 5th District candidates: Democrat Emanuel Cleaver II (incumbent), Republican Rick Brattin, Libertarian Randy Langkraehr
- Missouri 6th District candidates: Republican Chris Stigall, Democrat Josh Smead
State Auditor
Missouri auditor Scott Fitzpatrick is running for reelection against Democrat Quentin Wilson and Libertarian Dustin Coffell.
Fitzpatrick's 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.
STLPR interviewed Quentin Wilson, who won the Democratic primary, in December 2025.
Dustin Coffell has no official campaign website.
Constitutional amendments
Missourians will see four ballot initiatives and one proposition on their November ballots.
Amendments related to the citizen-led ballot initiative process and the state sales tax were on the August primary ballot.
Amendment 3 asks voters to effectively ban abortion in Missouri. This would undo a 2024 vote in which Missourians approved an amendment to enshrine abortion access in the state constitution. This new ban would contain exemptions for abortions for rape and incest before 12 weeks, for emergencies and fetal anomalies.
The amendment would also constitutionally ban gender-affirming care for minors. There is already a permanent ban on gender-affirming surgeries for trans youth in state statute, and a ban on puberty blockers and hormones that will sunset in 2027.
Amendment 6 would restrict the legislature from overturning policies passed in statewide votes through the initiative petition process.
Amendment 7 would establish a public endowment fund called "The Show-Me Prosperity Fund," similar to a sovereign wealth fund. However, this amendment would not allocate any money into that fund — the Missouri General Assembly would need to decide how to bankroll it.
Supporters hope that the investment could one day be used to replace state taxes entirely, but economists worry that it could put state services at risk.
Amendment 8 requires Missouri counties to elect a sheriff every four years, and enshrines certain duties into the state constitution. However, it makes several exemptions in the St. Louis area. The amendment also limits the circumstances under which sheriffs can be removed from office — only by a motion from the state attorney general.
Proposition A asks voters if Missouri should use the 2025 Republican-drawn congressional map for future elections. The map was redrawn in a special session, at the urging of President Donald Trump, in order to turn the Kansas City-area 5th congressional district into a safely GOP seat to help maintain Republican control of the U.S. House.
Because redistricting opponents collected enough valid signatures to force a referendum, the 2025 map was not allowed to take effect for the November election. Missouri is currently voting under its previous, 2022 map.
2026 Kansas elections
U.S. Senate
Kansas U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, a Republican, is running for his second term. He will face Pastor Adam Hamilton, a Democrat.
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.
Hamilton hopes to change that. After he won the August Democratic primary, several political analysts shifted their estimates of the race from "safe" in Republican hands to "likely Republican."
- Read more: Marshall vs. Hamilton debate at the Kansas State Fair
- Read more: Why would independent Kansans vote for a Democrat for U.S. Senate but not for governor?
U.S. House of Representatives
Here's who is running in the Kansas City-area U.S. congressional districts in Kansas.
- Kansas 1st District candidates: Republican Tracey Mann (incumbent), Democrat Lauren Reinhold, Libertarian Steven Jacob
- Kansas 2nd District candidates: Republican Derek Schmidt (incumbent), Democrat Don Coover, Libertarian John Hauer
- Kansas 3rd District candidates: Democrat Sharice Davids (incumbent), Republican Eric Jenkins
Kansas 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.
Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson won the Republican primary, while Kansas state Sen. Cindy Holscher won the Democratic primary.
Kansas Secretary of State
The secretary of state is in charge of responding to important questions regarding Kansas elections.
Should there be a three-day grace period after election day for mail-in ballots to be received and counted? How strict should the state be on preventing non-citizens from voting? Is voter fraud a serious issue?
The three candidates — a Republican, a Democrat and a United Kansas member — have different answers. Read about the candidates from KCUR's Grace Hills.
Other state offices
- Kansas Supreme Court: Voters will decide on retention elections for two Kansas Supreme Court justices, Eric Rosen and Larkin Walsh.
- Kansas lieutenant governor: Democrat KC Ohaebosim will face Republican Jeff Klemp.
- Kansas attorney general: Republican Kris Kobach is running for reelection against Democrat Chris Mann.
- Kansas commissioner of insurance: Republican Daniel Hawkins, Democrat Dinah Sykes and Libertarian Ric Koehn are in this open election.
- Kansas treasurer: Democrat Juan Luengo, Republican Steven C. Johnson and Libertarian Eric Lund are competing for the role of treasurer.
- Kansas State Board of Education 3rd District: Republican Jim McMullen of Overland Park is facing Democrat Amy Diediker of Olathe.
Kansas constitutional amendment: Non-citizen voting
Kansans will see a ballot question in November asking whether only U.S. citizens may vote in any election — something that is already law in Kansas.
