Missouri voters to decide fate of income tax, parks and petitions

Missouri citizens have some important choices to make in the August 4, 2026, election. Four major constitutional amendments are on the ballot, and each one could change the state in a big way. These decisions will affect everything from how the state collects its taxes to how citizen petitions can become law. Here is a guide to the four amendments you will see on your ballot.

Amendment 1: Parks Tax Renewal

For more than forty years, a special tax has kept Missouri state parks free to enter. It has paid for important soil and water conservation programs. Voters need to decide if they value keeping these parks open enough to continue paying this tax. The exact ballot language asks: “Shall Missouri continue for 10 years the one-tenth of one percent sales/use tax that is used for soil and water conservation and for state parks and historic sites, and resubmit this tax to the voters for approval in 10 years?”

A yes vote means the state will keep collecting this sales tax for another ten years. A no vote means the state will stop collecting this forty-year-old tax entirely. Missouri voters have continually renewed this tax every ten years since its inception.

Amendment 2: Electing the Jackson County Assessor

This measure is primarily about ensuring the rules are consistent across the entire state. Right now, the state constitution allows Jackson County to appoint its property assessor. However, all other charter counties in Missouri must elect their assessors. Supporters of this amendment want to allow Jackson County to hold elections for this job, just like the rest of the state. The exact ballot language asks: “Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to require all charter counties, including Jackson County, to provide for the election of a county assessor; and require assessors in all charter counties to comply with any training requirements established by general law?”

A yes vote would force Jackson County to elect its assessor rather than have someone appointed by the county executive. A no vote leaves the rules unchanged, requiring Jackson County to keep its current system. It should be noted that in 2025 Jackson County voters approved making the tax assessor elected instead of appointed, but for it to become effective the constitutional provision must be changed.

Amendment 4: Limiting the Initiative Petition Process

This amendment would make it significantly harder to change the Missouri Constitution. Right now, a petition started by citizens only needs a simple statewide majority to pass into law. This measure would change the rules so that citizen petitions must win a majority in all eight of Missouri’s congressional districts. However, amendments proposed by lawmakers would still require only a simple majority. The exact ballot language asks: “Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to modify current requirements that a statewide majority of voters may approve initiative petitions to amend the constitution; require a majority of voters in each congressional district to approve initiative petitions to amend the constitution; and make available to each voter the full text of initiative petitions with their ballot?”

A yes vote changes the rules to require congressional district-by-district approval for citizen petitions and adds penalties for foreign campaign spending. A no vote keeps the current statewide simple majority rule in place.

Amendment 5: Eliminating the State Income Tax

This amendment represents a massive shift in how Missouri handles its money. The stated main goal is to reduce the tax burden on citizens by gradually eliminating the state income tax. To make up for the lost revenue, the state would rely a lot more on sales taxes. It would also force local governments to cut property taxes when they receive more sales tax revenue, without cutting any public-school funding. The ballot language asks: “Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to require legislative phase-out of the individual state income tax based on revenue growth, and authorize the expansion of sales and use taxes; curtail constitutional limits on taxing goods and services; and require local tax rate cuts without reducing school funding if local sales tax revenue increases?”

 A yes vote supports eventually changing the constitution to eliminate the individual state income tax. A no vote opposes eliminating the income tax and rejects the new rules for sales taxes and local tax cuts.