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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Key election dates in Missouri and Kansas
- 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 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, where you'll verify your voter registration.
There, you'll 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)
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 old 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.
- 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."
- Amendment 8 requires Missouri counties to elect a sheriff every four years, and enshrines certain duties into the state constitution.
- Proposition A asks voters if Missouri should use the 2025 Republican-drawn congressional maps for future elections.
2026 Kansas 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.
Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson won the Republican primary.
Kansas state Sen. Cindy Holscher won the Democratic primary.
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 secretary of state: Democrat Jennifer Day will face Republican Pat Proctor and United Kansas candidate Scott Morgan.
- 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.
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."
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
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.
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.
With current Secretary of State Scott Schwab running for the Republican nomination for governor, the seat is open.
Read about the candidates from KCUR's Grace Hills.
