Ballot Issue

Kansas City has relied on the 1% earnings tax to pay for much of its budget since it was enacted in 1963. As voters begin to head to the polls, local leaders want them to renew it again.

If the measure passes, Kansas City will continue collecting a 63-year-old tax on wages, salaries and profits. If it fails, the city will be forced to find another source for hundreds of millions of dollars — or else make dramatic cuts.

The biggest tasks left are the state budget, where Gov. Mike Kehoe has proposed a number of spending reductions, and a Republican plan to eliminate the income tax.

Cole County Judge Brian Stumpe removed some of Secretary of State Denny Hoskins' phrases describing the old and new redistricting plans — calling them argumentative and "likely to create prejudice."

The November amendment would prohibit most abortions in the state, overturning a 2024 vote to protect abortion rights. But two-thirds of surveyed Missouri voters also say they support banning gender-affirming care for minors, which is also included in the ballot question.

A similar version of this bill was thrown out by the Missouri Supreme Court in January because of an unrelated item. Before it was struck down, that new process was put to the test over a proposed constitutional amendment to ban most abortions.

Passed by Republican lawmakers last year, Amendment 4 would require a majority of voters in every Missouri congressional district to approve a proposed constitutional amendment for it to pass. That would allow a small minority of voters to defeat petition campaigns.

U.S. Sens. Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt expect Missouri Republican-backed ballot issues will succeed even in a tough election year.

Last month, the Missouri Supreme Court threw out legislation that gave greater authority to the secretary of state over proposed ballot summaries. Judges have repeatedly rejected Denny Hoskins' language for being biased or misleading.

Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, going against a century of precedent, declared that the Republican-favoring congressional map took effect Dec. 11, even though opponents had submitted enough signatures to likely force a statewide referendum.

Missouri Republican lawmakers pushed through the bill last year in response to the campaign for an abortion rights amendment, and to protect against lawsuits over abortion restrictions still on the books.

Missouri state Rep. Will Jobe filed a resolution requesting an impeachment investigation of Secretary of State Denny Hoskins over his handling of a redistricting referendum. Hoskins is already facing multiple lawsuits over his actions, including declaring a portion of signatures invalid.