Missouri elections 2024

With Donald Trump headed back to the White House, and Republicans cementing power in Missouri, transgender residents in Kansas City fear losing access to hormone treatments and living under an administration that campaigned on making them pariahs.

At a rally on Thursday, Amendment 3 supporters said they expect legal challenges from Missouri legislators who oppose abortion. Planned Parenthood has already sued to overturn the state's abortion ban and other restrictions.

Republican Mike Kehoe, who won the race for Missouri governor this week, acknowledged that some residents were uncomfortable with the state’s near-total abortion ban. He said that lawmakers are still discussing how they'll respond to the passage of Amendment 3.

It’s become a familiar pattern in Missouri — progressive ballot measures like abortion rights, Medicaid expansion and marijuana legalization find success in a state where Republicans have dominated for more than a decade.

While Missouri Republicans continued to dominate statewide and legislative politics, they lost a critical fight over abortion rights.

Missouri voters passed a majority of the proposed ballot measures, amending the state constitution to ensure the right to an abortion, legalizing sports gambling in the state and more.

The measure would have amended the Missouri Constitution to allow for a casino to be built near the Osage River and Bagnell Dam, south of U.S. 54. It would have increased the number of state-licensed casinos from 13 to 14.

When it goes into effect in December, Amendment 3 will protect abortion up to what’s known as fetal viability — which is about 24 weeks of pregnancy.

By placing Missouri Amendment 6 before voters, lawmakers sought to reverse the impact of a 2021 Missouri Supreme Court ruling that found the fees unconstitutional.

The proposal sought a property tax to support organizations that have lost pandemic relief funding and fund services assisting seniors.

Democrats hoped to gain seats in both the House and Senate — something they have not done since 2006 — and to break the two-thirds supermajority the GOP has enjoyed since the 2012 election. While each party flipped a seat in each chamber, Democrats made no overall gains.

The amendment calls for a 10% sales tax on all collected gambling revenue to be directed toward funding education and the compulsive gambling fund.