Tuesday is Election Day in Missouri and Kansas. Voters on both sides of the state line will have major decisions to make on critical constitutional amendments and new government leaders.
The 2026 midterm election will decide which party will control Congress on the federal level, but voters around Kansas City will also determine important bond issues and more that impact their local communities.
Before heading to the polls, check out KCUR’s election guide for a detailed breakdown of all the races and ballot questions. Below, find everything you need to know about how to cast your vote.
Where to vote and polling hours in Missouri and Kansas
In Missouri, polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Polls are required to be open in Kansas from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., but some counties can open as early as 6 a.m. and stay open until 8 p.m.
Here’s where to look up your polling location in Missouri and Kansas. Be sure to check where your polling place is because it may have changed since the last time you voted.
Before you head out, you should also make sure you’re registered to vote. You can check your voter status online in Missouri and Kansas and what’s on your individual ballot.
You’ll need to bring a photo ID to vote in both Missouri and Kansas, but each state accepts different forms of identification. If you don't have an acceptable ID, you can still vote with a provisional ballot in both states.
If you’re still in line when polls are closing, stay in line because you have a right to cast a ballot.
How to get to the polls on Election Day
If you need help getting to your polling location, the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority will provide free rides on its fixed-route buses and paratransit services in Kansas City and in Wyandotte and Johnson counties.
RideKC Freedom On-Demand, which caters to low-income individuals and people with disabilities, and the rideshare service IRIS will also offer free rides to or from polling locations within service areas.
Some rideshare apps, like Lyft, are also offering discounted rides to the polls.
Thousands of observers expected at polls nationwide
Civil rights groups have been training thousands of volunteers nationally ahead of Tuesday’s election to watch for any intimidation or presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, at polling locations.
Trump administration officials have said ICE isn’t planning to target polling places, and federal interference at the polls is illegal.
But last month, the Justice Department announced it planned to increase its routine monitoring and send 1,000 observers nationwide. The Kansas Reflector reported that DOJ election monitors will be in Kansas on Election Day.
A spokesperson for the secretary of state said monitors are only allowed to observe and won't interfere in the election process. The Republican National Committee has also recruited observers to monitor the vote on Election Day.
Kansas City area elections
Jackson County executive
Democrat Stacy Lake faces Republican Alan Rohlfing in the first election in two decades without an incumbent candidate defending the county’s top seat.
Jackson County Legislature: at-large and in-district candidates
- 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)
Jackson County Question 1
Jackson County voters will decide whether to renew the county’s quarter-cent Community Backed Anti-Crime Tax, known as COMBAT, for another 10 years.
Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, sales taxes
- Wyandotte County voters will decide on a 1/4-cent sales tax to fund health and homelessness services.
- Voters in Kansas City, Kansas, will also decide on a 3/8-cent sales tax to fund improvements to parks, bridges, sidewalks and roads.
Missouri elections
U.S. House
Voters in Missouri will cast their ballots using the maps drawn and passed by the state Legislature in 2022, following a highly contested mid-decade redistricting effort aimed at favoring Republicans and requested by President Donald Trump.
Kansas City area voters will decide on three House seats up for election this year.
- 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
Missouri Supreme Court and judge retention votes
All voters in the state will decide whether to retain a judge on the Missouri Supreme Court, while voters in the northwestern and central part of the state will decide if an appellate court judge will keep her seat. Kansas City area voters will vote on keeping 13 circuit and associate circuit court judges on the bench.
State auditor
- Missouri Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick is running for reelection against Democrat Quentin Wilson and Libertarian Dustin Coffell. 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 and St. Louis Public Radio interviewed Quentin Wilson in October.
Constitutional amendments
- Amendment 3 asks voters to effectively ban abortion in Missouri, undoing a 2024 vote to enshrine abortion access in the state constitution. It would also constitutionally ban gender-affirming care for minors, which is already prohibited under state law.
- Amendment 6 would restrict the Legislature from overturning policies passed in statewide votes through the initiative petition process. It would also require an 80% threshold for lawmakers to overturn or change any measure brought and passed by voters.
- Amendment 7 would establish a public endowment fund called "The Show-Me Prosperity Fund," similar to a sovereign wealth fund and aimed at eventually replacing state taxes entirely. If passed, the Missouri General Assembly would still need to decide how to bankroll the fund.
- Amendment 8 would require Missouri counties to elect a sheriff every four years, limit how they can be removed from office and enshrine certain duties in the state constitution. There are a few exemptions in the St. Louis area.
- Proposition A asks voters if Missouri should use the 2025 Republican-drawn congressional map for future elections.
Kansas elections
U.S. Senate
Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall is running for his second term. He’s up against Democrat Adam Hamilton, a pastor who is quickly gaining traction for a seat that’s been held by a Republican since 1939.
U.S. House
- 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 Supreme Court and judge retention votes
All Kansas voters will weigh in on whether to retain judges on the state supreme and appellate courts.
Kansas governor
State Senate President Ty Masterson and state Sen. Cindy Holscher are competing for Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s heavily contested seat. Kelly is term-limited.
Kansas secretary of state
Republican Pat Proctor, Democrat Jennifer Day and United Kansas candidate Scott Morgan are facing off to oversee Kansas elections.
Other state offices:
- Kansas Supreme Court: Eric Rosen, Larkin Walsh
- Kansas lieutenant governor: Democrat KC Ohaebosim, Republican Jeff Klemp
- Kansas attorney general: Republican Kris Kobach, Democrat Chris Mann
- Kansas commissioner of insurance: Republican Daniel Hawkins, Democrat Dinah Sykes, Libertarian Ric Koehn
- Kansas treasurer: Democrat Juan Luengo, Republican Steven C. Johnson, Libertarian Eric Lund
- Kansas State Board of Education 1st District: Republican Amy Cawvey, Democrat Jennifer Lloyd
- Kansas State Board of Education 3rd District: Republican Jim McMullen, Democrat Amy Diediker
Kansas constitutional amendment: Noncitizen voting
Kansans will decide on a ballot question asking whether only U.S. citizens may vote in any election — something that is already state law.
