Missouri Voters Renew Conservation Tax, Reject Income Tax Phaseout and Amendment Process Changes
Missouri voters in the August primary approved Amendment 1, renewing a sales tax funding soil and water conservation and state parks, while rejecting Amendments 4 and 5 by wide margins. Coverage differs mainly in emphasis: some outlets focus on the vote results and margins, while others highlight Gov. Mike Kehoe's earlier decision to schedule these measures for the August primary rather than the November general election, and the political implications of that timing.
In Missouri's August 2026 primary election, voters decided the fate of several statewide constitutional amendments placed on the ballot by Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe. Amendment 1, which renews a 0.1% sales and use tax supporting soil and water conservation and state parks and historic sites for another 10 years, passed with approximately 82.3% approval. Voters rejected Amendment 5, which would have allowed the legislature to phase out the individual state income tax over five years while giving lawmakers expanded authority to raise sales taxes to offset the loss, by a similarly lopsided margin of roughly 80%. Amendment 4, which sought to change the process for amending the state constitution, was also rejected by a wide margin. The Amendment 1 tax has been renewed by Missouri voters three times since 1984 and generated about $140 million in fiscal year 2025. Kehoe signed proclamations placing Amendments 1, 2, 4, and 5 on the August primary ballot rather than the November general election ballot. Kehoe was a chief proponent of the income tax phaseout measure, arguing it would make Missouri more economically competitive, and said scheduling it for August would give lawmakers additional time to prepare for implementation if approved. Early vote tallies for Amendment 1 showed more than 258,000 yes votes compared to just over 53,000 no votes. The rejection of Amendments 4 and 5 leaves Missouri's current income tax structure and constitutional amendment process unchanged for now. Reporting differs on the significance of Kehoe's decision to place these measures on the August ballot: some coverage notes that doing so put major fiscal and structural questions before a smaller, historically more Republican-leaning primary electorate rather than the higher-turnout November general election, though the ultimate rejection of the tax phaseout occurred within that same electorate. Full official vote totals and turnout figures for the primary were not detailed across the available reporting.
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How the coverage differs
Missouri voters pass Amendment 1, reject Amendments 4 and 5 in August primary
Missouri voters passed Amendment 1 with 82.3% approval, renewing a sales and use tax for soil and water conservation and state parks for another 10 years. Voters rejected Amendments 4 and 5 by large margins; Amendment 5 would have phased out the state income tax and given lawmakers power to broadly raise sales taxes, while Amendment 4 aimed to change the process for amending the state constitution.
Read original report ↗August Primary: Missouri voters pass Amendment 1
Missouri voters approved Amendment 1 in the August primary election, according to the Associated Press, with over 258,000 yes votes compared to just over 53,000 no votes as of initial reporting. The amendment renews a 0.1% sales tax that funds soil and water conservation and state parks and historic sites, generating roughly $140 million annually.
Read original report ↗Missouri Amendment 5 income tax phaseout rejected by nearly 80% of voters
Missouri voters overwhelmingly rejected Amendment 5, which would have paved the way for the legislature to phase out the individual state income tax and given lawmakers five years to offset the phaseout by increasing sales and use taxes. Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe was a chief proponent, arguing the phaseout would make Missouri more economically competitive, but voters rejected it alongside Amendment 4 by similarly wide margins.
Read original report ↗Governor Kehoe places four constitutional amendments on August primary ballot
Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe signed proclamations placing Amendment 1, Amendment 2, Amendment 4, and Amendment 5 on the August primary election ballot rather than the November general election. Kehoe said modernizing Missouri's tax code would be a momentous task and that placing the income tax phaseout measure on the August ballot gave lawmakers additional time to prepare for implementation.
Read original report ↗Missouri governor places tax overhaul on August ballot, abortion ban in November
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe's decision to place the income tax phaseout and constitutional amendment threshold measures on the August ballot, rather than November, places two of the year's most consequential measures before a smaller, historically more Republican-leaning electorate. The tax being renewed by Amendment 1 raised about $140 million in fiscal 2025 and has been renewed by voters three times since 1984.
Read original report ↗