Legal weed, governor’s race & more: What are your Missouri & Kansas election questions?
Voters will cast their ballots again soon for the general elections in Kansas and Missouri on Nov. 8.
We want The Star to be a resource that helps you feel equipped to make decisions at the polls you believe will best serve you and your community.
We did our best to make voting easier in the primary elections with our Kansas and Missouri voter guides, and our stories answering reader questions about things like the Kansas abortion vote.
We’re going to keep focusing on answering your questions and explaining anything confusing or misleading about the voting process, races or other issues on your ballot.
Let us know in the form at the bottom of this story what questions you have, and what you want the candidates to be talking about as they compete for your vote.
Based on some of the things we hear from you, our reporters will be asking the candidates to answer a few questions, similar to how we did for the primaries.
We’ll compile those into a voter guide where you can look up the races near you, in addition to other stories explaining things you’re curious about before the big day.
Here’s what Missouri voters will find on the ballot…
Recreational marijuana vote, and four other ballot initiatives: Missourians will vote on five ballot questions about legal weed, Kansas City police funding, where the national guard is positioned in the state government, how the state treasurer decides where to invest the state’s money and on the possibility of a state constitutional convention.
U.S. Senate: Voters will choose between Eric Schmitt, Trudy Busch Valentine and several independent candidates or candidates from smaller parties to represent Missouri in Washington, D.C.
U.S. House of Representatives: Around Kansas City, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II and Rep. Sam Graves will compete to keep their seats in Congress. In the 4th District, Republican Mark Alford and Democrat Jack Truman will face off.
State legislature to serve in Jefferson City: A couple districts in the Kansas City area will be voting for a new state senator, and a lot of districts will be voting for new state representatives.
County government positions: Jackson County executive and legislature seats are on the ballot, as are positions in Clay and Platte counties.
$175 million Kansas City bond issue: Kansas Citians will vote on a city bond to fund things like infrastructure and affordable housing.
Kansas voters will weigh in on…
Governor: Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is running for governor again, and Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt is running against her.
Statewide offices like Attorney General, Secretary of State and State Treasurer are up for grabs.
U.S. Senate: Republican Sen. Jerry Moran is trying to keep his seat, and Democratic former KCK Mayor Mark Holland is running against him.
Congressional representatives: Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids and Republican Amanda Adkins will face off again for the 3rd District seat. Republican Rep. Jake LaTurner will run again for the 2nd District seat, against Democrat Patrick Schmidt.
All state representatives: Every state legislative district will vote on its representative to send to Topeka.
Two amendments: Kansans will vote on whether the Legislature should have the power to override executive branch regulations without the governor’s support, and on whether the sheriff should need to be an elected position in every county.
Kansas Supreme Court judges: Voters will decide if the current state Supreme Court judges should keep their seats.
Board of education: Some Johnson County voters will elect their representative to the board that oversees schools in the state.
District court judges: Some Wyandotte County voters will elect judges.
Johnson County commission: Voters will elect this nonpartisan county body.
What are the key dates to know?
Oct. 12: Last day to register to vote in Missouri in order to vote in the Nov. 8 election
Oct. 18: Last day to register to vote in Kansas in order to vote in the Nov. 8 election
Oct. 19: First day advance, in-person voting begins in Kansas, and first day mail-in ballots are sent
Oct. 25: No excuse absentee voting for any registered voter in Missouri starts
Nov. 1: Last day to apply for a mail-in ballot in Kansas
Nov. 7: Last day to vote in-person absentee in Missouri
Nov. 8: Election Day
What questions do you have?
Do you have questions about how the candidates will affect your schools, your favorite small business or a family member needing medical care? Or about something confusing you’ve heard from a campaign, or about what you need to bring to the polls?
We want to hear from you.
We are working on a voter guide with answers from each candidate who will be on your ballot, as well as stories that answer your questions.
Fill out the form below, or email us at kcq@kcstar.com.
This story was originally published September 1, 2022 at 5:00 AM.