voting rights

In November's election, Missourians will be asked whether to ban ranked-choice voting, which allows voters to rank their candidates from favorite to least favorite. But the ballot question also includes language about restricting voting rights to citizens — which is already the law.

Unhoused people face unique challenges in voting. Learn how to register to vote with a step-by-step guide tailored for homeless people in Kansas City. Here's how to get necessary documents like a birth certificate and state ID.

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach is leading a multi-state federal lawsuit against a Biden administration executive order from 2021, which asks federal agencies to help register U.S. citizens to vote.

Amendment 7 on Missouri's November ballot would ban ranked-choice voting and amend the state constitution to declare that only citizens can vote — which is already illegal. Critics say the language is "ballot candy" aimed at deceiving voters.

Attacking Kansas City and St. Louis has become standard practice for Missouri Republicans running for office. But that rhetoric, paired with actions they take in the legislature, has increasingly made it difficult for city leaders to get things done. Plus: Polling places have been decreasing across Kansas City due to safety concerns, but voter turnout hasn't.

A 2022 Kansas law made it illegal to "represent oneself as an election official," but voting rights groups said it could potentially outlaw voter registration drives. The GOP-supported law was part of a wave of voting suppression legislation passed after the 2020 election.

One naturalized Kearney resident, originally from Mexico, is ready to make her voice heard in the 2024 election. Nearly 900,000 immigrants and refugees became U.S. citizens in 2023, and the rapidly growing population could impact elections.

Five states have banned ranked choice voting in the last two months, bringing the total number of Republican-leaning states now prohibiting the voting method to 10. Missouri could soon join them, if voters approve a constitutional amendment this fall.

The law upheld by the court says it’s a felony offense for a person to collect and turn in more than 10 advance ballots for other people. Another controversial measure, which criminalizes impersonating an election official, will be sent back to the district court.

If Missouri voters approve the proposed amendment, it would bar local governments from adopting ranked-choice voting models. But it has has a carve out for St. Louis, which implemented ranked-choice in 2020 for its municipal elections.

Currently, a simple majority of votes is needed to pass a proposed constitutional amendment once it makes it onto the ballot. The proposed resolution would increase that threshold to both a simple majority of votes and the majority of Missouri’s eight congressional districts — but the bill also includes unrelated "ballot candy."

The Republican resolution would ask voters whether it should be harder to amend Missouri’s constitution through the initiative petition process. It comes as Missouri groups collect signatures for a ballot initiative protecting abortion rights.