Missouri to decide fate of direct democracy + income tax in key election
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Gov. Kehoe moved two measures, Amendments 4 and 5, to the Aug. 4 ballot.
- Amendment 4 would make it virtually impossible for most citizen amendments to pass.
- Amendment 5 would let lawmakers raise sales taxes and tax services to end the income tax.
Hello, Star readers.
Today, we’re diving into Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe’s decision to move two major statewide votes to the Aug. 4 primary and how those elections could shape the state for years to come.
Next, we’ll get into:
• Trump’s KS pick: President Donald Trump threw his support behind Ty Masterson in the race for Kansas governor. Here’s why the move made the senator an instant frontrunner.
• KS donation scrutiny: A candidate for Kansas governor is facing scrutiny about more than $300,000 in donations she received while serving as a top regulator. Inside the campaign contributions that have raised serious questions in the race for governor.
This week in politics
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe on Friday moved to the Aug. 4 ballot a pair of measures that seek to replace the income tax with expanded sales taxes and overhaul the state’s most visible form of direct democracy.
The decision comes as Missouri voters are preparing for an extraordinary and potentially historic election season. The two measures were among four items the Republican governor moved from the Nov. 3 ballot to August.
Kehoe’s decision to move two of the state’s most high profile and controversial ballot measures was strategic. Republicans hope that the income tax and direct democracy measures will perform better in the August primaries, where voter turnout is weaker than November but typically more solidly Republican.
The direct democracy measure, called Amendment 4, and the income tax plan, called Amendment 5, are poised to have the most immediate impact on Missourians if they pass.
Amendment 4 takes aim at Missouri’s initiative petition process, a more than a century-old form of direct democracy that allows citizens to collect signatures and put policy measures to a statewide vote. The proposal would make it virtually impossible for most amendments to pass on the ballot.
Meanwhile, Amendment 5 would dramatically reshape the state’s tax structure. If approved, the measure would grant lawmakers broad authority to increase sales taxes and tax new services with the goal of eventually eliminating the income tax.
Read the full story about how these two votes could change the trajectory of Missouri.
More from this past week
• A divided Kansas City Council recently repealed a ban on conversion therapy, clearing a path for professionals to offer the controversial practice. Here’s why the council took that step.
• Missouri’s top election official is involved in a heated redistricting battle that’s scrambled the upcoming primaries. Here’s how Denny Hoskins has reshaped the Secretary of State’s Office.
• After Kansas City banned certain shops from selling mini liquor bottles, one local store is fighting back. Inside the lawsuit that seeks to strike down the city’s new ordinance.
Looking for more?
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That’s all for now! See you next week.
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