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New Republican-backed laws in several states — including Missouri and Kansas — threaten large fines or criminal penalties for minor mistakes in voter registration work. As groups pull back, they're reaching fewer voters.
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U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley is up for reelection this year, and Democratic challenger Lucas Kunce hopes to use Hawley's anti-abortion stance against him. The matchup could be on the ballot as the same time as a constitutional amendment legalizing abortion rights.
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After recent losses in states like Kansas and Ohio, anti-abortion activists say they must take a more aggressive approach in Missouri, using a low-budget grassroots to stop an initiative petition from putting a constitutional right to an abortion in the hands of voters.
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If approved by voters, the petition would raise the state’s minimum wage to $13.75 beginning in January 2025 and $15 in 2026, with annual cost-of-living increases after that. It also seeks to set the minimum paid sick leave to one hour per 30 hours worked.
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Missouri is shaping up to be big battleground over abortion rights in November. Even in this solidly Republican state, where the procedure is almost entirely illegal, many Catholics say they support a ballot measure to enshrine abortion rights in the constitution.
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Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are suing the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Tobacco over a federal rule closing the gun show loophole.
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For nearly 30 hours, the conservative faction has blocked a vote on Medicaid funding, demanding that the Missouri Senate passes an unrelated resolution making it harder to amend the constitution. The Federal Reimbursement Allowance accounts for roughly a third of the funding for the state Medicaid system.
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Voters in Missouri could show that abortion rights initiatives are not a down-ballot Democratic dream everywhere, especially if GOP voters who dislike their party's views on abortion rights still like candidates on most other issues.
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Missouri voters passed a constitutional amendment in November 2022 that required Kansas City to increase its minimum funding of the police department. But the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that the language on the original measure was so inaccurate that it casts doubt on the fairness of the election.
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Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed legislation that would have blocked teenagers from receiving hormone therapy and other gender-affirming treatments recognized as necessary by medical professionals. The Senate voted to override her veto, but the House fell short.
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Missouri House ethics panel ends investigation into Dean Plocher, after blocking release of evidenceThe committee voted to dismiss the ethics complaint, after removing language that blamed the result on “the inability of the committee to finish the investigation as a direct result of obstruction of the process and the intimidation of witnesses by” Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher.
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On May 7, voters in Kansas City, Kansas, will decide whether to approve a ballot measure that would raise property taxes for the next 30 years. The bond would pay to consolidate elementary schools, build new buildings, increase early childhood education, and fund additional renovations.
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In order to work in Missouri, 14 and 15-year-olds must obtain a certificate from their school, with information from their prospective employer about the job, as well as parental consent and age verification. But a Republican-sponsored bill would eliminate that formal process, and only require a signed permission slip.
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The Missouri Freedom Caucus, a faction of the state GOP, has vowed to debate the budget in detail and attempt to cut hundreds of millions in spending. That could push final votes on spending past the constitutional deadline of May 10.
Government
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With a one-party majority and a bag of legislative tricks, Kansas lawmakers conceal much of their bill-making process.
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The leaked draft of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in the landmark case would see a complete ban on abortion in Missouri and offer Kansas legislators the opportunity to do the same.
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Local leaders from the Northland to Johnson County are working to make their communities more environmentally sustainable.
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Average starting pay for teachers in Missouri is already the lowest in the country. Now, teachers might not be receiving the raise they were hoping for.
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Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas says the current system of state control over the KCPD undermines the voices of Kansas City residents.
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Facing a budget shortfall in 2020, Missouri cut 200 jobs at the Department of Social Services including positions in the division overseeing abused and neglected children.
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The Missouri senate bill, introduced by Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder (R-Sikeston), aims to strengthen and broaden existing rape shield legislation.
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Marshall also signaled he was unlikely to vote for Ketanji Brown Jackson's appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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A recent Mother Jones article highlighted a bill co-sponsored by Tracey Mann that would extend tax breaks in opportunity zones where he owns properties.
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Kansas City’s new snow removal process has been tested as the city experienced several snowy days in recent weeks.
Elections
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Three candidates are running for two seats on the Liberty school board. Here’s what they think about mental health, cellphones in school and removing books from libraries.
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Five candidates are vying for three seats on the fractious Hickman Mills school board. Here's what they have to say about recent board decisions, technology in schools and mental health for students.
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Here’s what nine North Kansas City school board candidates think about mental health, cellphones in school and removing books from libraries.
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Three newcomers are competing for two open seats on the Center School District board of education in south Kansas City. Here's what they think about key issues like social emotional learning and how to improve student performance.
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Every four years, the 2nd Congressional Districts in Nebraska and Maine become mini swing states in the presidential election. That’s because those states can split their electoral vote by district, instead of giving all the votes to the popular vote winner. Does the split vote approach offer a better option for the electoral college?
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A recent poll said nearly a third of voters didn't support either former President Donald Trump or President Joe Biden. But third-party or independent candidates still don't have a serious path forward, and in Kansas, lawmakers want to make it more difficult for them to make the ballot for statewide office.
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The Kansas legislature has taken up several bills this session that the ACLU says would make casting ballots harder. The House Committee on Elections' chair says the goal is to improve Kansans' confidence in elections, and that many of the measures won't make it to a vote on the floor.
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Jackson County voters will see a question in the April 2 election asking to repeal and replace a sales tax, which would help pay for a new Royals ballpark. Here is a guide to the stadium ballot measure, including whether the Royals needs taxpayer dollars and who would own it.
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Big wins in statewide offices and the legislature have helped create bitter factionalism within the Missouri GOP. But since former President Trump is likely to take the state easily in November, many GOP officials aren’t worried about what’s to come.
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Jackson County voters will decide in April whether to fund the Chiefs' and Royals' stadiums through a 3/8th-cent sales tax for the next 40 years. However, two legislators worry their constituents won’t have enough information to cast their ballots.