U.S. Reps. Cori Bush (District 1) and Emanuel Cleaver (District 5) both face primary challengers this election cycle. Five candidates are running in the District 1 primary and two candidates are running in the District 5 primary. Those primaries will take place on Aug. 2, with the winners advancing to general elections on Nov. 8.
Incumbents feature in two of the seven contested Democratic primaries across all of Missouri’s congressional races this year. In the U.S. Senate primary, 11 candidates will compete for the party nomination. Three of the other U.S. House races (Districts 2, 6, and 7) have three Democratic candidates, while the other (District 3) has four. Only one Democratic candidate is on the ballot in Districts 4 and 8.
Incumbents are not seeking re-election in three of the races. Roy Blunt (R) is retiring from the U.S. Senate, while Vicky Hartzler (R-District 4) and Billy Long (R-District 7) are both running for U.S. Senate.
One U.S. Senate seat and eight seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are up for election in 2022. Democrats currently hold two of the House seats and Republicans currently hold both Senate seats and six House seats.
U.S. Reps. Ann Wagner (District 2), Blaine Luetkemeyer (District 3), Sam Graves (District 6), and Jason Smith (District 8) face primary challengers this election cycle. In the 2020 election cycle, two incumbents (Wagner and Smith) were unopposed in Republican primaries.
Luetkemeyer and Graves face the most primary challengers at four apiece. Wagner faces four challengers, and Smith has one challenger. These primaries will take place on Aug. 2, with the winners advancing to general elections on Nov. 8.
There are at least two Republican candidates on the ballot across all nine of Missouri’s congressional races this year. In the U.S. Senate primary, 21 candidates will compete for the party nomination. Eight candidates each are running in both the District 4 and District 7 primaries where there is no incumbent seeking re-election.
Incumbents are not seeking re-election in three of the races. Roy Blunt (R) is retiring from the U.S. Senate, while Vicky Hartzler (R-District 4) and Billy Long (R-District 7) are both running for U.S. Senate.
One U.S. Senate seat and eight seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are up for election in 2022. Democrats currently hold two of the House seats and Republicans currently hold both Senate seats and six House seats.
Campaigns that support ranked-choice voting (RCV) ballot initiatives in Missouri and Nevada have received millions in contributions in the weeks ahead of their signature deadlines. Both of the ballot initiatives would utilize open primaries in which the top candidates, regardless of partisan affiliations, advance to the general election. In Missouri, the top four vote recipients would advance to the general election. In Nevada, the top five vote recipients would advance. In Missouri and Nevada, voters would use ranked-choice voting to determine who among the four or five candidates wins the election. Despite the similarities between the two proposals, each one has different top donors.
In Nevada, the PAC Nevada Voters First is leading the campaign and signature drive. The PAC received $2.26 million through March 31. Katherine Gehl, founder of the Institute for Political Innovation and former CEO of Gehl Foods, Inc., contributed $1 million. The Final Five Fund, Inc., which the Institute for Political Innovation lists as a 501(c)(4) counterpart, provided $488,000. The Nevada Association of Realtors and Strategic Horizons, a committee associated with the Clark County Education Association, each donated $250,000. Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, contributed $100,000, as did the organization Unite America.
In Missouri, the Better Elections PAC is leading the campaign behind the top-four RCV ballot initiative. Better Elections received $4.30 million through March 31. Over 98% of the PAC’s funding came from the organization Article IV, a nonprofit organization based in Virginia. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Article IV is associated with John and Laura Arnold, whose organization Action Now Initiative contributed to RCV-related ballot initiatives in previous years.
The signature deadline is May 8, 2022, in Missouri. The number of signatures required is equal to 8% of the votes cast for governor in the previous gubernatorial election in six of the state’s eight congressional districts. The smallest number of valid signatures required is 160,199; however, the actual requirement depends on from which districts enough signatures were collected.
The deadline to file signatures for the top-five RCV ballot initiative in Nevada is June 21, 2022. At least 135,561 valid signatures are required for the initiative to make the ballot. In Nevada, initiated constitutional amendments, such as the initiative, need to be approved at two successive general elections. So voters would need to approve the ballot initiative in 2022 and 2024.
Statewide RCV ballot measures have gone before voters in three states. Should the ballot initiatives in Missouri and Nevada make the ballot, the two would be the fourth and fifth states to vote on RCV measures.
Maine became the first state to adopt RCV for some statewide elections when voters approved Question 5 in 2016. PACs raised $2.94 million to support Question 5. Action Now Initiative was the largest donor, providing $470,000.
Two states – Alaska and Massachusetts – voted on RCV ballot initiatives in Nov. 2020. Massachusetts Question 2 was defeated, with 54.78% of voters rejecting the proposal. The campaign behind Question 2 raised $10.18 million, including contributions from Action Now Initiative, Unite America, and Katherine Gehl. Voters in Alaska approved Ballot Measure 2, which received 50.55% of the vote. Ballot Measure 2 replaced partisan primaries with open top-four primaries and established ranked-choice voting for general elections. The campaign received $6.84 million, with Unite America and Action Now Initiative as top donors.
Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) announced on April 5 that he is running for governor in 2024. As of April 11, he is the only official candidate in the race. The current governor, Mike Parson (R), is ineligible to run for another term. He took office in 2018 after Eric Greitens resigned. Parson then won re-election in 2020. In Missouri, a governor may serve a maximum of two four-year terms.
Kehoe was appointed to the office of lieutenant governor by Parson in 2018 and won re-election in 2020. His current term ends on Jan. 13, 2025. Prior to his appointment, Kehoe served in the Missouri State Senate from 2011 to 2018.
The state of Missouri has a Republican triplex and a Republican trifecta. A triplex occurs when one party controls the offices of the governor, secretary of state, and attorney general. A trifecta occurs when one party controls the office of the governor and both chambers of the state legislature.
The winner of the 2024 election will be Missouri’s 58th governor. Nationwide, there will be 11 gubernatorial seats up for election in 2024. Missouri will also be holding elections for lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, and treasurer.
The Missouri Supreme Court has issued two decisions in April 2022 so far.
State of Missouri vs. Shawn W. Yount was argued on Feb. 1, 2022, and the opinion was issued on April 5. In this case, the defendant appealed the decision of the circuit court that he was a dangerous offender, which increased the severity of his sentence. The Supreme Court ruled that the defendent’s case should be sent back to the circuit court for resetencing as it did not find that the defendent met the requirements to be considered a dangerous offender. It was a 6-1 decision written by Justice Robin Ransom with Justice George W. Draper III dissenting.
All Star Awards & Ad Specialties, Inc. vs. HALO Branded Solutions, Inc. was argued on Dec. 8, 2021, and the opinion was issued on April 5, 2022. In this case, an employee from All Star began working for HALO (a direct competitor) simultaneously and providing client information to HALO. All Star fired the employee and sued HALO for tortious interference with a business and conspiracy to breach the duty of loyalty. A jury awarded All Star $5.5 million in punitive damages which the circuit court then reduced to $2.6 million after a motion from HALO. The Supreme Court of Missouri upheld the circuit court ruling in a 6-1 decision. The opion was written by Justice W. Brent Powell with Justice George W. Draper III dissenting.
The Missouri Supreme Court has heard arguments in 17 cases so far in 2022. The Court does not have any cases on the docket for April.
Founded in 1820, the Missouri Supreme Court is the state’s court of last resort and has seven justices. Justices are are appointed to 12-year terms by the governor from a list provided by the Missouri Appellete Judicial Comission. As of Sept. 2021, three judges were appointed by a Democratic governor and four by a Republican governor.
The jurisdiction of the Missouri Supreme Court includes appeals concerning the validity of federal statutes and treaties in addition to state statues, state revenue laws, the right of a state elected official to hold office, and the imposition of the death penalty. The Missouri Supreme Court also has the discretion to hear appeals on questions of general interest and if a lower court’s decision is in conflict with a previous appellate decision.
Of the races called by Ballotpedia, six of seven school board incumbents were re-elected, giving an 85.7% success rate for incumbent re-election bids. In two districts, all incumbents were reelected and in one district one incumbent won re-election and one incumbent lost re-election.
As of April 8, 2022, the incumbent in the Center School District race leads the next closest candidate by 0.71% of votes cast and the incumbent in the Hickman Mills C-1 School District race trails the next closest candidate by 0.16% of votes cast. In the other two uncalled races, no incumbents ran.
In 2021, Ballotpedia tracked elections for 27 seats across 11 Missouri school boards in which 59 candidates ran, including 21 incumbents. Incumbents ran in all but one of these contests and won re-election 57.1% of the time. In four school districts all incumbents won re-election and in five districts at least one incumbent won and one incumbent lost. No incumbents won re-election in two districts.
In 2022, Ballotpedia is tracking elections for over 1,000 school board seats across 39 states and Washington, D.C. As of April 5, this included 12 school board recall elections.
Since March 21, 2022, there were two house resolutions that passed in the Missouri House of Represenatives. There were no bills to pass both the House and Senate and be signed by Gov. Mike Parson (R). So far in the 2022 session, eight bills and resolutions have been passed. The following are the passed resolutions since March 21:
House Resolution 3268 allows the Missouri House of Representatives to hire any necessary staff for the interim period between the 2022 and 2023 sessions. The resolution was introduced by Rep. Jason Chipman (R) and was adopted on March 24 with a vote of 147-0.
House Resolution 3737 affirms support for Ukraine and calls for action to be taken to decrease U.S. dependency on Russian oil. The resolution was introduced by Rep. Nick Shroer (R) and adopted on March 30 with a vote of 93-42.
The Missouri General Assembly is the state legislature of Missouri. It is a bicameral legislature composed of a 34-member Senate and a 163-member House of Representatives. Senators are term limited to two four-year terms and representatives are limited to four two-year terms. The Missouri General Assembly is a part-time legislature. The 2022 session convened on Jan. 5 and will adjourn May 13.
Missouri is one of 23 Republican state government trifectas in the U.S. The Republican Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the General Assembly. There is a 24-10 Republican majority in the Senate and a 108-49 majority in the House. The Republicans have a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers. In the event of a veto issued by Gov. Parson, the Republican majority is large enough to override the veto without any votes from members of the Democratic Party.
Upcoming dates in the Missouri General Assembly:
April 15 is the last day to place House Consent Bills on the Senate Calendar
April 18 there will be no session due to the Easter Holiday
The voter registration deadline for Missouri’s 2022 primary election is three months away. Those who wish to vote in-person must be registered by July 6. Registration is possible online, in-person, or by mail. If registration forms are mailed, they must be postmarked on or before July 6. The primary is scheduled for Aug. 2.
A primary election is used to narrow the field of candidates for certain positions or to determine the political party nominees before a general election. Missouri has an open primary. Voters are not required to be affiliated with a political party in order to vote in that party’s primary. Voters are also able to declare any party at the polls regardless of previous party affiliation.
In the Missouri primary, voters throughout the state will select one candidate to serve in the U.S. Senate, eight candidates to serve in the House of Representatives, a state auditor, 17 state senators, and 163 state representatives. Clay County, Jackson County, Platte County, and the city of St. Louis have several municipal positions that will be on the ballot. Using Ballotpedia’s sample ballot lookup tool, voters can find the candidates that will be on their ballot on Aug. 2.
The state of Missouri does not have early voting. Those who qualify for an absentee ballot must have their request form received in the mail by July 20.
A total of 18 school board seats across nine Missouri school districts covered by Ballotpedia are up for nonpartisan general election on April 5, 2022, one of which is up for a special election to a one-year term. Of the 52 candidates running in these contests, nine (17.3%) are incumbents running for re-election. Races in four of the nine districts have no incumbents running.
The figures above do not include two at-large seats up for election on the St. Louis Public Schools Board of Education, for which a general election will be held on Nov. 8, 2022.
In 2021, Ballotpedia tracked elections for 27 seats across 11 Missouri school boards in which 59 candidates ran, including 21 incumbents. Incumbents ran in all but one of these contests and won re-election 57.1% of the time. In four school districts all incumbents won re-election and in five districts at least one incumbent won and one incumbent lost. No incumbents won re-election in two districts.
In 2022, Ballotpedia is tracking elections for over 1,000 school board seats across 39 states and Washington, D.C. As of April 5, this includes 12 school board recall elections.
Voters will decide two ballot measures in St. Louis, three ballot measures in Kansas City, and one ballot measure in Jefferson City, Missouri on April 5.
St. Louis:
St. Louis voters will decide on a bond issue for capital improvement projects and a citizen-initiated measure concerning election law, redistricting, and conflicts of interest.
Proposition 1, the bond issue, was referred to the ballot by the St. Louis Board of Aldermen. The measure would authorize the issuance of $50 million in general obligation bonds for capital improvement projects, such as public safety facilities, correctional facilities, pedestrian and bicycle transportation facilities, streets, buildings, and bridges, neighborhood recreation centers, and fire houses. A two-thirds (66.67%) supermajority vote is required for the approval of Proposition 1.
Proposition R was placed on the ballot through a citizen initiative petition supported by the campaign Reform St. Louis. The initiative would create a redistricting commission for drawing ward boundaries; require a public vote before a proposed change to voting methods can be adopted; and require alderpersons to declare personal or financial conflicts of interest and abstain from voting when there are conflicts of interest. Currently, in St. Louis, the Board of Aldermen are responsible for approving the decennial redistricting maps.
A campaign for a citizen-initiated measure must collect a number of signatures equal to at least 10% of registered voters at the last mayoral election. Reform St. Louis reported submitting about 39,000 signatures on Sept. 20, 2021. Board of Elections Director Benjamin Borgmeyer announced on Oct. 4, 2021 that the campaign had collected more valid signatures than the minimum requirement, which was 20,141.
Jami Cox, Policy Committee Chair of Reform St. Louis, said, “What’s at stake is making sure that the St Louis city government is operating in the most efficient and ethical way possible. If this proposition doesn’t pass, then we are looking at the redistricting process still being led by the people that are ultimately going to be running for the seats that they serve in and not having any hard outline processes in our city charter to reduce conflicts of interest.”
Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed said, “There is no need to have a special election costing the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars solely for a proposal that the Prop R group admits is untimely, would be challenged in court, would not put into effect what it states it will and would not take effect for 10 years.”
The Show Me Integrity Action Fund was registered as a political action committee (PAC) to support Proposition R. The PAC raised $134,484 according to campaign finance reports covering information through March 24, 2022. The top donor was the Center for Election Science, which provided $62,320. Vote NO Prop R was registered as a PAC to oppose Proposition R. The committee reported raising $2,635. The City of St. Louis Republican Party provided $2,453 to Vote NO Prop R.
Kansas City:
The Kansas City Council referred three measures to the April 5 ballot.
Question 1 would authorize the issuance of $750 million in revenue bonds for expanding, improving, and rehabilitating the city’s sanitary sewer system.
Question 2 would authorize the city to renew a property tax levy of $220 per $100,000 of assessed value to provide funds for emergency medical, ambulance, hospital, and public health services for 9 years.
Question 3 would remove 6.82 acres of vacant land, located on the west side of Searcy Creek Parkway between 210 Highway and Northeast 36th Street, from the park system.
Jefferson City:
The Jefferson City Council referred a bond measure to the ballot that would issue $44 million in revenue bonds for sewer system improvements, maintenance, and operations.
In 2022, Ballotpedia is covering local measures that appear on the ballot for voters within the top 100 largest cities in the U.S., all state capitals, and throughout the state of California. Ballotpedia is also covering a selection of notable police-related and election-related measures outside of the top 100 largest cities.
