Jackson County 2024 primary election live results: prosecutor, sheriff, sales tax issues

Missouri voters in and around Kansas City have cast ballots to weigh in on the races for governor, attorney general, state legislators, Jackson County prosecutor and more. Voters are also deciding on two ballot measures.

Below are live results in different races across the county:

Jackson County Prosecutor

Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker is not seeking re-election, so it’s an open race for her countywide seat.

Melesa Johnson defeated two other Democrats to advance to the general election, where she will face Republican Tracey Chappell.

County prosecutors in Missouri serve four-year terms.

Independence Sales Tax Issue

Jackson County voters who live in Independence decided in the Aug. 6 election to approve a new sales tax to increase pay for Independence police officers.

The additional one-fourth cent sales tax will apply to purchases in Independence. It’s expected to bring in about $5.47 million annually and would remain in effect until repealed by voters.

City officials said the tax is necessary to increase wages for police officers and stay competitive with area agencies, including the Kansas City Police Department, which recently adopted a new wage scale that hiked pay. The city has said the new tax would increase pay for entry-level Independence officers to $62,000.

Jackson County Sheriff

Incumbent Darryl Forté, a Democrat, is running unopposed for Jackson County Sheriff.

Sheriffs in Missouri serve four-year terms.

U.S. House District 4

Missouri’s 4th Congressional District covers the western part of central Missouri, including parts of the southern and eastern suburbs of Kansas City.

Republican incumbent Mark Alford is running for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives. Jeanette Cass won the 2024 Democratic primary, and Thomas Holbrook is running as a Libertarian.

U.S. representatives serve two-year terms.

U.S. House District 5

Missouri’s 5th Congressional District covers most of the Missouri part of the Kansas City metro.

Democratic incumbent Emanuel Cleaver II is running for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives. Sean Smith is running in the 2024 Republican primary, and William Truman Wayne is running as a Libertarian.

U.S. representatives serve two-year terms.

U.S. House District 6

Missouri’s 6th Congressional District includes part of Kansas City’s Northland region

Republican incumbent Sam Graves is running for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives. He handily defeated challengers Freddie Griffin Jr., Brandon Kleinmeyer and Weldon Wray Woodward in the 2024 Republican primary.

Pam May won the Democratic primary, and Andy Maidment is running as a Libertarian.

U.S. representatives serve two-year terms.

Governor

Mike Parson, a Republican, is not seeking re-election for Missouri governor because of term limits. Nine Republicans, five Democrats and one Libertarian ran in the open primary to replace him.

Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe came out on top of the crowded Republican race, and Missouri House Minority Leader Crystal Quade won the Democratic primary.

Missouri’s governor serves a four-year term, with a maximum of two terms.

Ballot Measures

Missouri had two statewide issues on ballots for this election.

Voters rejected Amendment 1, which would have allowed the legislature to make child care facilities exempt from paying property taxes.

But Amendment 4 narrowly passed, meaning Kansas City will be required to fund its police with at least 25% of the city’s budget, rather than the current 20% requirement. That comes out to an additional $38.7 million from Kansas City taxpayers. The entire state voted on the issue because KCPD is under state control. This year’s vote was a redo of a 2022 ballot measure overturned by the Missouri Supreme Court this spring.

Missouri House

State representatives are lawmakers responsible for drafting and voting on legislation. They also help create the state budget and create legislation that helps regulate state agencies. There are 163 state representatives in the Missouri House, each serving a two year term at a time.

Jackson County residents will vote in the District 19, District 20, District 21, District 22, District 23, District 24, District 25, District 26, District 27, District 28, District 29, District 30, District 31, District 32, District 33, District 34, District 35, District 36, District 37 and District 56 races.

Missouri Senate

Jackson County voters will have a say in the District 7, District 9, District 11, District 17 and District 21 primary races. Missouri state senators serve four-year terms.

District 7 saw a hotly contested competition between Rep. Patty Lewis and businessman Pat Contreras, but Lewis ended up well ahead of Contreras in unofficial results. She will now face off against Republican Joey LaSalle in the general election.

Looking for more Missouri primary coverage?

• Live results: Missouri statewide 2024 primary elections
• Live results: Clay County 2024 primary elections
• Live results: Platte County 2024 primary elections

This story was originally published August 6, 2024 at 6:30 PM.