Statewide issues fill November election ballot

Aside from high-profile statewide ballot measures involving abortion, minimum wage and sports betting, Missouri voters have several other constitutional amendments to consider for the Nov. 5 general election.

Additionally, several counties in the Springfield area have a handful of local issues on the ballot, including a senior property tax freeze and a bond proposal for the Marionville school district.

The following is a glance at some of the ballot issues facing voters.

Amendment 5
Passage of the amendment would permit the Missouri Gaming Commission, the state agency responsible for regulating gambling, to issue an additional license for a gambling boat to operate on the Osage River near the Lake of the Ozarks. 

A “yes” vote would increase the state’s number of gambling boat licenses to 14.

The location would include a space that contains water and must be within 500 feet of the 100-year base flood elevation as established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Under the measure, all revenue the state receives from the new license will go to early-childhood literary programs for state elementary public schools.

State governmental entities estimate one-time costs of $763,000, ongoing annual costs of $2.2 million, initial fee revenue of $271,000, ongoing admission and other fee revenue of $2.1 million annually and annual gaming tax revenue of $14.3 million.

Local governments estimate unknown revenue, according to the ballot language.

Amendment 6
The amendment, added to the ballot by the Missouri General Assembly, would include a provision in the Missouri Constitution to include the levying of fees to support salaries and benefits for law enforcement personnel, including elected county sheriffs and prosecutors.

If the amendment were to pass, a $3 court fee – added to criminal cases in 1983 – would be reinstated to fund the retirement system for sheriffs.

The fee was removed in 2021 after it was deemed unconstitutional by the Missouri Supreme Court.

Retirement benefits for prosecutors also are included, through a $4 court fee.

State and local governmental entities estimate an unknown fiscal impact.

Amendment 7
Lawmakers voted to put Amendment 7 on the ballot, which proposes changing the state’s constitution to explicitly limit state voting rights to U.S. citizens in Missouri and ban ranked-choice voting in future elections.

This change would make the Missouri Constitution consistent with federal laws that expressly prohibit noncitizen voting.

A “yes” vote would end the possibility of ranked-choice voting in the state, meaning Missouri voters could cast only one vote per candidate and ballot issue in future elections.

In ranked-choice voting, voters rank their first, second and third choices – or more, if necessary – for candidates or ballot issues. If no candidate earns a majority, ranked-choice voting would help decide a winner and eliminate the lowest-ranked candidates until there is a winner.

State and local governmental entities estimate no costs or savings.

As of June, 10 states have enacted legislation banning the use of ranked-choice voting, according to Ballotpedia.

Marionville school district bond issue
Voters in the Marionville school district are being asked to pass a $4.3 million bond issue that seeks to address multiple projects on its campus.

Dubbed a “no tax rate increase,” the issue’s passage would mean it will increase the district’s overall indebtedness but will not alter tax bills.

Its debt service levy of 98 cents per $100 of assessed valuation of real and personal property would remain unchanged.

The district wants to use the funding to construct a new early childhood education center, update K-8 schools for security and safety measures, and build a new baseball and softball complex at Marionville High School.

The measure requires support from at least 57.14% of voters to pass.

Senior property tax freeze
Polk, Stone and Webster counties have added this issue to the ballot, which follows state legislation passed in 2023 and amended this year, authorizing any county to freeze increases to the real estate property taxes of the primary homes for senior citizens who meet certain qualifications. If approved, their property taxes would stay at the same amount they were when they become eligible for the plan, which for most people would be starting at 62 years old.

According to a fact sheet on the Polk County government’s website, the tax relief program applies only to a taxpayer’s primary residence and does not include personal property and other real estate. It is only available for homeowners and does not freeze real estate taxes or the assessed value of their homes.

Judges’ retention
Voters also will be asked to make decisions on retaining judges as part of the Nov. 5 ballot. All Missouri voters will have at least two appellate judges appear on the ballot in retention elections.

The Missouri Judicial Performance Review Committee released its performance findings for all 71 nonpartisan judges up for retention, according to a news release. The findings can be found at YourMissouriJudges.org.