Candidates aren’t the only choices Missouri voters will make on Aug. 4. Seven proposed amendments to the Missouri Constitution also appear on the statewide ballot, covering issues ranging from reproductive rights and property tax oversight to the citizen initiative process and a plan to phase out the state income tax. We’ll cover four of these statewide ballot issues in this issue and the other three in our July 24 issue.
Some of the proposals are straightforward. Others could reshape how Missouri government operates for decades to come. In the following pages, The Community Voice explains what each amendment would do, why it was placed on the ballot, and what a yes or no vote would mean for Missouri voters.
Amendment 1: Continue Parks and Conservation Sales Tax
Missouri voters are being asked whether to continue for another 10 years the state’s one-tenth of one percent sales and use tax that supports state parks, historic sites, and soil and water conservation programs. The tax was first approved by voters in 1984 and has been renewed every decade since—in 1996 (66%), 2006 (76%), and 2016 (80%). If approved again this year, voters will decide its future once more in 2036. The tax currently generates about $140 million annually.
Over the past four decades, the dedicated funding has helped maintain Missouri’s state parks and historic sites, improve campgrounds, trails and recreational facilities, and support conservation projects that reduce soil erosion, improve water quality, and protect farmland and watersheds across the state.
A yes vote continues the existing tax for another 10 years. A no vote allows the tax to expire. Because it extends an existing tax rather than creating a new one, state officials say the amendment would not increase or decrease taxes.
Amendment 2: Electing Jackson County’s Assessor
Amendment 2 would require all Missouri charter counties to elect their county assessor and require those assessors to complete any training established under state law. While written to apply statewide, the proposal is aimed almost entirely at Jackson County, which is currently the only county in Missouri whose assessor is appointed rather than elected.
The amendment grew out of Jackson County’s controversial 2023 property reassessment, when many homeowners experienced sharp increases in their property values and tax bills. The reassessment sparked public outrage, lawsuits, legislative hearings, and calls for greater accountability. Critics argued that because the assessor was appointed rather than elected, voters had little direct say over the official responsible for determining property values.
In response, Jackson County voters approved a local charter amendment in 2025 making the assessor an elected position. Amendment 2 would place that requirement into the Missouri Constitution, eliminating Jackson County’s long-standing constitutional exemption and requiring all charter counties to elect their assessors while complying with state training requirements. Supporters say the change increases accountability to voters, while opponents argue the county had already addressed the issue locally through its charter amendment.
A yes vote would make the requirement part of the Missouri Constitution. A no vote would leave the current constitutional language unchanged. State officials estimate the amendment would have no impact on taxes.
Amendment 4: Raising the Bar for Citizen Initiatives
Missouri voters have long had the power to change the state Constitution through the initiative petition process. Under the current system, citizen-led constitutional amendments become law with a simple statewide majority of voters.
Amendment 4 would significantly change that process. In addition to winning a statewide majority, future citizen-initiated constitutional amendments would also have to receive majority support in each of Missouri’s eight congressional districts before they could take effect. Constitutional amendments referred to voters by the Missouri Legislature would continue to require only a statewide majority.
Supporters say the change would ensure that constitutional amendments have broad support across the entire state instead of being driven by large population centers. Opponents argue it would make it far more difficult for citizens to amend the Constitution and shift more influence over constitutional changes to the Legislature.
The initiative petition process has been used by Missouri voters to approve some of the state’s most significant policy changes in recent years, including expanding Medicaid, legalizing medical marijuana, legalizing recreational marijuana, authorizing sports betting, increasing the minimum wage, requiring paid sick leave, and adding abortion rights to the Missouri Constitution.
An analysis by the Missouri Independent found that every citizen-initiated constitutional amendment approved by Missouri voters since 2020 would have failed under the new standard because each one lost at least one congressional district, even though it received a statewide majority. That includes Medicaid expansion, recreational marijuana legalization, the minimum wage and paid sick leave amendment, and the 2024 abortion rights amendment. Even a 2016 business-backed constitutional amendment limiting sales taxes on services would not have passed under the proposed rules.
If approved, Amendment 4 would represent one of the most significant changes to Missouri’s initiative petition process in decades, making future citizen-led constitutional amendments substantially more difficult to enact.
Read Part 2: Missouri Amendment 5 Could Change How You Pay Taxes
