Amendments 4 and 5 struck down by voters

Missouri’s August 4 primary election has come and passed, with Missourians turning down multiple large-scale, Republican-backed initiatives at the ballot box.
 
Amendment 4 and Amendment 5 to the Missouri constitution were met with an outstanding tally of “no votes” as citizens made their voices heard in opposition.
 
Amendment 4
Receiving less than 20 percent of votes, a “yes” on Amendment 4 would have made it much more difficult to pass citizen-led initiatives to amend the state constitution. It would have required a citizen-led amendment to win in all eight congressional districts, rather than a simple state-wide majority. This was passed by lawmakers in a 2025 special session.
 
According to the Missouri Independent, the decision was made without much input from the Democratic Party, as the state senate blocked Democratic filibusters and shut down any sort of debate before changes could be offered. The measure went to the ballots anyway.
 
After the amendment failed, Governor Mike Kehoe released a statement stating that he would continue to fight for the values that he believed this amendment stood for.
 
“I will continue working to fight for election integrity, transparency, and a system that does not allow our Constitution to be up for sale,” said Kehoe.
 
He also said that the reason the bill failed was because of special interest groups.
 
“Unfortunately, special interests succeeded in keeping our Constitution vulnerable with the defeat of Amendment 4,” he said.
 
Amendment 5
Amendment 5 to the Missouri Constitution would have eventually eliminated the state income tax if passed. This measure would have also allowed the state to explore other avenues of taxation to make up for the tremendous ensuing decrease in available funds.
 
This amendment received even fewer “yes” votes than Amendment 4, coming in at just over 17 percent. Backed by local state representative Bishop Davidson, Kehoe described the amendment as a tax cut for citizens, though the details of how this tax cut would work were unknown, as the legislature had not yet decided how to make up the money they would be losing.
 
“Throughout this conversation on eliminating the state income tax, we made the case that Missouri should think boldly about its future, challenge the status quo, and pursue policies that make our state more competitive,” said Kehoe.
 
Kehoe said that he would continue to work on lowering taxes for Missourians.
 
“While Amendment 5 did not earn the support it needed, I believe our work is far from over,” he said. “I remain committed to working with the General Assembly in the years ahead on ways to continue cutting taxes, growing our state’s economy, and pursuing conservative policies that help Missouri families keep more of what they earn.”
 
House Minority Leader Ashley Aune said in a statement after the failure of 4 and 5 that these amendments will have consequences for those that backed them.
 
“Missouri voters just made clear they won't let Republicans rewrite the rules to protect their own power and line the pockets of the ultra-wealthy," Aune said. "The overwhelming defeat of Amendments 4 and 5 should surprise no one, and neither should the electoral consequences that are coming for lawmakers who voted for these schemes over the will of their constituents. In November, voters have the chance to send another powerful message to Jefferson City Republicans: If you mess with Missourians' rights, you will pay the political price."
 
Amendment 1
Voters in Missouri overwhelmingly approved of Amendment 1, which renewed the existing sales and use tax of .1 percent for the next 10 years.
 
Approximately half of the revenue generated from this tax went to soil and water conservation. It has generated over $772 million in revenue since it was first approved in 1984. It is automatically placed on the ballot each time the tax expires. It was previously approved in 1988, 1996, 2006 and 2016.
 
In the Aug. 4 election, it received more than 80 percent of total votes and will presumably be on the ballot once more in 2036.
 
State Senate Race
Locals had more to vote on than amendments this election season, as the primary race for state senator in District 20 was also on the ballot.
 
Incumbent Curtis Trent, who has served in the Senate since 2023, was overtaken by Lori Rook, who took a slight majority with 53 percent of total votes.
 
 
Despite being outspent on the campaign $365,000 to $198,000, Rook beat out Trent.
 
 
After winning the primary, Rook will go on to the general election to face Democrat Sean Falconer, who ran unopposed in the Democratic Primary.