Missouri Voters Reject Tax and Ballot Initiative Amendments

Missouri voters rejected two constitutional amendments during the August primary election. Amendment 4, a Republican-led effort, failed after voters declined a proposal that would have required citizen-led ballot initiatives to win a majority in each congressional district instead of a simple statewide majority.

Edgar Lewis, a Republican state representative, proposed Amendment 4 as a measure to protect the state constitution from what he described as a weak initiative process. Opponents of the measure, including the Fairness Project, spent over $6 million on broadcast advertisements to ensure its defeat.

In a separate vote, citizens also rejected Amendment 5. This proposal sought to phase out the individual state income tax and allow for the expansion of sales and use taxes to offset the resulting loss in revenue.