Who is on your KC-area ballot? Your voter guide to the April 7 election
This voter guide covers the candidates for municipal offices and school boards in Kansas City-area counties in Missouri. It covers elections in Jackson, Clay, and Platte counties as well as the Kansas City earnings tax ballot question. Voters can see sample ballots on the Missouri Secretary of State’s website.
Election Day on Tuesday, April 7, is fast approaching. No-excuse absentee voting for the KC-area municipal elections is available from March 24 through April 3.
Looking for information on how to find your polling place? The Missouri Secretary of State’s office offers an online tool to help voters look up their specific polling place for this election.
These municipal government and school board races are nonpartisan. These positions are important because they play a direct role in how your tax dollars are spent and make decisions about local policies and appoint other leadership positions in your community’s government and school district.
- Find all of our voter guides and election explainers here.
- The Kansas City earnings tax question is the “most critical” item on the spring ballot. Here’s why.
- And if it doesn’t pass, this is what could happen to sales and property taxes in Kansas City.
- The Hickman Mills School District is facing a budget crisis. Learn more about the $20 million bond they are hoping voters will pass.
- Voters in the Independence School District have the opportunity to vote on a $60 million school bond. Learn more about what is included and what it means for your students.
- Blue Springs residents are voting on whether the city should use $65 million in combined water and sewer system revenue bonds to fund federally mandated improvements to the Sni-A-Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant, which is also shared with Grain Valley. Learn more about the proposal here.
- Find The Star editorial board recommendations and endorsements in key races here.
This guide is focused on contested races in major parts of the Kansas City metro.
As part of our reporting on this election, The Star newsroom has organized a team of reporters and editors to check the backgrounds of the more than 70 candidates, including reviewing court records and other publicly available information. Any newsworthy information found as part of that process will be included in our coverage.
If you have more information to share or questions about this guide, please contact us through our newsroom tip line.
How to use this voter guide
Using the drop-down menus below, select the specific race or the community that you’re interested in. That will show only the candidates that fit those filters. To see all candidates, remove your selections on the drop-down menus.
This story was originally published March 31, 2026 at 6:00 AM.