Missouri State Amendments on August 4, 2026 Ballot

Know before you go. Don’t be confused by the ballot issues. In-Person no excuse needed absentee voting begins July 21 through August 3, and election day voting on August 4. You can find a polling place to vote early or on election day here. The following guide for the August Primary amendments comes from League of Women Voters of Metro St. Louis.

Amendment 1
Renewal of Parks & Conservation 1/10 of One Cent State Sales Tax

  • First passed 1984, 10 yr. renewal 1986, last renewed 2016 with 79.88% of vote
  • Raises $ 140 million annually
  • Largest funder of soil and water conservation projects
  • Funds parks
  • Funds historic sites
  • Funds projects for agricultural land

ARGUMENTS FOR AMENDMENT 1

Reliable Source of Funding for Conservation & Parks Conservation Projects Protect the Environment, Water Quality, Land-use planning that reflects conservation and wise management of resources.

Identification and regulation of areas of critical concern: Fragile or historical lands, where development could result in irreversible damage.

Water resource programs and policies that protect the quantity and quality of water supplies and soil

Provides Recreation and Good Quality of Life for Missouri

Attracts Tourists to Missouri

Legislature Cannot Divert Funds

ARGUMENTS AGAINST AMENDMENT 1

Lack of Accountability to Legislature

Disregard of Personal Property Rights

Mismanagement of Deer Policy

Funds Cannot be Redirected to Other Needs

Amendment 2
Required Election of Jackson County Assessor

  • Requires Jackson County to elect its Assessor like other Missouri charter counties.
  • Removes 2010 exemption and follows 2025 Jackson County voters approval of electing the Assessor.
  • Requires Jackson County Assessor to have same training requirements as rest of Missouri counties.

ARGUMENTS FOR AMENDMENT 2

Accountability to the Voters

Fight Unfair Taxes

Consistency across Missouri Counties

Avoid Assessor’s Overreach in Jackson County

ARGUMENTS AGAINST AMENDMENT 2

Politicization of the Assessment Process

Pressure from Special Interests

Lack of Technical Oversight

Reduced Professional Standards

Amendment 4
Increased Requirements on Initiative Petition Process

  • Requires Majority Voter Approval for Citizen Initiate Petitions in all 8 Missouri Congressional Districts
  • Would Make Missouri only State Requiring Voter Approval in all Congressional District
  • Retains prohibition on foreign nationals/adversaries from contributing to petition campaigns
  • Put on Ballot by Legislature in Special September 2025 Session (HJR 3)

ARGUMENTS FOR AMENDMENT 4

Constitutional Changes Should Have the Broadest Consensus

Changes should be Supported by both Rural and Urban Voters

Changes Should be Protected from Politicalization

Changes Should be Protected from Fraud

ARGUMENTS AGAINST AMENDMENT 4

Makes it Almost Impossible for a Citizen Initiative Petition to Win

Allows Only 1 Congressional District (6% of Voters) to Defeat Amendment

Unfair to Voters. Allows Legislature to Put Measure on Ballot With Simple Majority

No Other State Requires Ballot Measure to be Approved by All Congressional Districts

Amendment 5
Phase Out of State Income Tax

  • Requires legislative phase-out of the individual state income tax based on revenue growth
  • Authorizes the expansion of sales and use taxes
  • Curtails constitutional limits on taxing goods and services
  • Requires local tax rate cuts without reducing school funding if local sales tax revenue increases?
  • Missouri’s income tax currently generates $8.5 billion per year and supports 64% of the state general revenue budget.

How will it be implemented?

  • If approved, Amendment 5 alters the state constitution to allow a five-year legislative window to expand state and local sales and use taxes to transactions and services currently exempt. This expanded sales tax revenue is intended to safely replace the funding lost from the income tax phase-out.
  • Lawmakers could expand the sales tax to apply to all of the products and services that Missourians use every day like doctor’s visits and medication, childcare and summer camps, home and car repairs – even gasoline. The measure does not include any exemptions.
  • It will not require voter approval to implement sales or use taxes during that period.
  • It would also authorize the state auditor to change the tax rate for constitutionally mandated sales taxes supporting state parks and soil erosion control and the Missouri Department of Conservation.

What other states have no income tax?

  • Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming.
  • While these states do not tax your standard paycheck, they each offset that lost revenue through other methods, such as higher property or sales taxes. Alaska and Texas have oil and gas revenues. Nevada has a high gaming tax. Florida has a high tourism tax.

ARGUMENTS FOR AMENDMENT 5

Boosts Economic Competitiveness: Proponents argue that eliminating individual income taxes prevents Missouri from falling behind and allows it to effectively compete for businesses and residents with states that do not tax individual income

Gradual and Responsible Phase-Out: The amendment mandates that individual income tax reductions only happen incrementally. These cuts are directly tied to specific state revenue growth triggers.

Offsets Local Tax Burdens: The measure explicitly requires local governments to reduce personal property taxes and other local tax rates to offset any windfalls or revenue increases generated by a broader sales tax base. [1, 2, 3]

Protections for Public School Funding: Proponents emphasize that the measure contains strict constitutional safeguards prohibiting any reductions to public school funding during the transition.

ARGUMENTS AGAINST AMENDMENT 5

Taxes Would Increase for Most Missourians

  • 80% of Missourians would see a net tax increase with the average Missourian paying over $500 more in taxes each year. Only the wealthiest would have lower taxes.
  • In both cases, a median income Missourian making $65,400 per year would face $535 net tax increase.
  • Older adults who rely on Social Security or public pensions and active-duty military members, whose income is largely already exempt from income tax, will have a much steeper tax increase.

Critical Services Will be Cut

The income tax provides 64% of the general revenue budget. Cuts would have to be made in:

  • Health Care & Medicaid
  • Disability Services
  • Higher Education
  • Social & Senior Services
  • Transportation & Infrastructure
  • Affordable Housing