JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Aside from picking their preferred candidates come this Tuesday, Nov. 8, voters also will decide whether to approve a handful of constitutional amendments on the ballot. Below is a quick breakdown of each.

Amendment 1 (making state investments more flexible)

Do you want to amend the Missouri Constitution to:

• allow the General Assembly to override the current constitutional restrictions of state investments by the state treasurer; and
• allow state investments in municipal securities possessing one of the top five highest long-term ratings or the highest short-term rating?

A “yes” on Amendment 1 will give the General Assembly and the state treasurer greater options to invest state funds. It also would give the state treasurer the ability to invest in municipal securities.

Currently, if the treasurer wants to invest tax dollars into something not specifically enumerated in the state constitution, there must be a constitutional amendment passed by voters to do so. A “no” on Amendment 1 would keep this in place.

Amendment 3 (legalizing recreational marijuana)

Do you want to amend the Missouri Constitution to:

• remove state prohibitions on purchasing, possessing, consuming, using, delivering, manufacturing, and selling marijuana for personal use for adults over the age of 21;
• require a registration card for personal cultivation with prescribed limits;
• allow persons with certain marijuana-related non-violent offenses to petition for release from incarceration or parole and probation and have records expunged;
• establish a lottery selection process to award licenses and certificates;
• issue equally distributed licenses to each congressional district;
• and impose a 6% tax on the retail price of marijuana to benefit various programs?

A “yes” on Amendment 3 would allow for the purchase, possession, consumption, use, delivery, manufacture and sale of recreational marijuana for adults over the age of 21. It would also allow individuals with previous marijuana-related offenses to petition for their release, the end of their parole or probation, or to have their records wiped.

A “no” on Amendment 3 would keep recreational marijuana illegal. 

Amendment 3 is the only measure on the ballot that would affect taxes if approved, instituting a 6% retail sales tax on marijuana.

Amendment 4 (setting a new minimum for local funding of the Kansas City Police Department)

Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to authorize laws, passed before Dec. 31, 2026, that increase minimum funding for a police force established by a state board of police commissioners to ensure such police force has additional resources to serve its communities?

This amendment comes after the General Assembly this year approved Senate Bill 678, which would raise the minimum funding for a police force established by a state board of police commissioners from 20% of city general fund revenues to 25%. (However, voters must approve Amendment 4 to allow the state to require the funding increase.) 

The state law and constitutional amendment are a response to Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and a majority of the City Council voting last year to defund the KCPD by $42 million. Amendment 4, which must be approved statewide, would currently affect just Kansas City, since its police department is the only one in the state established by the state board of police commissioners.

Funding KCPD became a priority for several KC-area Republican legislators after the city’s police defunding attempt in 2022. 

Amendment 5 (making the Missouri National Guard a department of state government)

Shall the Missouri National Guard currently under the Missouri Department of Public Safety be its own department, known as the Missouri Department of the National Guard, which shall be required to protect the constitutional rights and civil liberties of Missourians?

A “yes” on Amendment 5 would make the Missouri Department of the National Guard a new state agency. 

A “no” on Amendment 5 would not amend the state constitution and would leave the National Guard under the Missouri Department of Public Safety. 

Constitutional Convention Question

Shall there be a convention of delegates to revise and amend the Missouri Constitution?

This is not a constitutional amendment, but rather a constitutional question that is required to be brought forth every 20 years. 

A “yes” vote would require the governor to call for a constitutional convention to revise and amend the Missouri Constitution. This would be the first such convention since 1942.

A “no” vote would leave the current process of amending the state constitution in place. 

For more information on your local ballot visit https://www.sos.mo.gov/.