Author: Gwyneth Pearson
The 2026 Missouri Primary Election shows that when voters make decisions on policy instead of party – unity can be found.
Missourians cast their votes on four ballot measures August 4, 2026.
Amendments 4 and 5 were the most controversial and contested measures. Amendment 4 looked to change the way folks vote on citizen-led ballot measures. Right now, Missourians need a simple statewide majority to pass them. But Amendment 4 would have required a majority in all of Missouri’s 8 congressional districts. Ballot measures led by the Legislature would not need to meet those same higher standards.
This voter map is a remarkable and iconic show of unity by Missouri. The amendment looked to raise the bar for individual-led initiatives. The proposed requirements for citizen-led measures seemed to bank on divisions between the city and the countryside. Instead of leaning into those divisions, Missourians proved they could unite.
A citizen-led measure reaches the ballot when someone writes an amendment/law and gathers enough voter signatures to qualify.
Amendment 5 would have required the elimination of individual income tax while increasing the sales tax. It would also require local tax rate cuts “without reducing school funding” but only if there’s an increase in sales tax revenue. This means, if sales tax revenue does not go up or fill the void, schools would pay the price. It’s also worth noting, those with lower incomes spend far more of their income on taxable goods and services than top earners. Some figures put lower earners spending about 75% of income on taxable goods, with the top earners only spending around 16% of their income.
The ballot read, “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?
Again, Missourians were united in voting “No” on Amendment 5.
In modern times, Missouri is considered a red state. Historically, though, Missourians have found themselves in the political middle. The geographic location of Missouri has much to do with this “middleness.” That’s not to say our historical “neutrality” has been entirely centrist. Missouri has long been a place of difference. Back during the Civil War, Missouri was marked by guerrilla warfare. While you found many unionists around St. Louis, the further south you went, the more confederate guerrillas you’d find. Most Missourians wanted nothing to do with the war. Many were sucked into the violence anyway. Desires for peace did not equal neutrality, however. Most Missourians were Confederate or Union sympathizers, not fighters.
I’d say this same dynamic haunts us today. The more I learn about the people around me in Southeast Missouri, the more I learn just how nuanced many people see political problems. Yet, their partisan sympathies or leanings tend to frame the way they understand issues. A liberal-leaning Missourian and a conservative-leaning Missourian might both worry over the state of agriculture, but for different reasons and with different perspectives. They both may worry about the economy, but disagree on who or what is to blame.
In recent months, though, I’ve started noticing a shift. On many issues, the traditional partisan lens is beginning to break. Folks are more often loosening their grip on partisan politics, choosing to change their own understanding, or at least pretend to. There are still partisan-fueled topics that divide us – immigration, one of the most severely divisive – but there are also topics folks seem to unify around, such as Artificial Intelligence and data centers. The unity around those things, I believe, could prove stronger than divisions over immigration.
As our understanding of power, economics, and empowerment starts reacting to the changing world around us, our understandings of what’s worth fighting over is changing too. The grip of partisanship is loosening, because partisanship is no longer has answers or solutions for the troubles we see coming ahead.
