Our Opinion: Six important initiatives on Tuesday's ballot in Missouri

Missouri voters will not only cast their ballot for federal, state and local officials in the general election Tuesday, Nov. 5, they will also decide six ballot issues.

These initiatives address significant matters with the potential to change the state’s future.

We offer no opinion on them but want Missourians to understand the measures.

Amendment 2

​Proposed by Winning for Missouri Education, the initiative would allow online and in-person sports gambling. Ten percent of gambling revenue would go toward educational institutions.

A yes vote would expand legal gambling in the state to include sports betting.

A no vote would reject such gambling.

Amendment 3

​Missourians for Constitutional Freedom sponsored the initiative, which would overturn the state’s current ban on abortion and legalize abortion until fetal viability.

A yes vote would expand abortion access in the state.

A no vote would maintain the state’s current abortion ban.

Amendment 5

​While voters across the state will vote on this Lake of the Ozarks Casino measure, it would only allow for one additional gambling boat license to operate on a portion of the Osage River, from the Missouri River to Bagnell Dam.

A yes vote would allow the additional gambling boat operation.

A no vote would not allow the state to issue the license.

Amendment 6

​In 2020, a state Supreme Court ruling invalidated a $3 fee charged on every court case in the state to fund the state sheriff’s retirement system. This initiative would constitutionally authorize court fees to generate revenue for salaries and benefits of current and retired county sheriffs and prosecuting attorneys.

A yes vote would codify the collection of the fees to fund salaries and benefits of current and retired county sheriffs and prosecuting attorneys.

A no vote would prevent the use of court case fees for that purpose.

Amendment 7

​This initiative involves voting and packages three components. It would block ranked choice voting, limit voting to only citizens 18 and older and allow only paper ballots to be used for elections.

Ranked choice voting is a system used in some places around the country. It allows voters to rank their choices for each position up for election. As explained by Ballotpedia.com:

Voters rank the candidates for a given office by preference on their ballots.

If a candidate wins an outright majority of first-preference votes (i.e., 50% plus one), he or she will be declared the winner.

If, on the other hand, no candidates win an outright majority of first-preference votes, the candidate with the fewest first-preference votes is eliminated.

All first-preference votes for the failed candidate are eliminated, and second-preference choices on these ballots are then counted as first-preference.

A new tally is conducted to determine whether any candidate has won an outright majority of the ballots.

The process is repeated until a candidate wins a majority of votes cast.

Ranked choice voting advocates contend the system benefits candidates with the broadest support. Opponents note the person who won the most votes initially can ultimately lose if he or she does not attain a majority.

A yes vote would ban ranked choice voting, allow only citizens 18 and older to vote (which is already law in Missouri) and mandate paper ballots for all elections in the state.

A no vote would allow the possibility but not mandate ranked choice voting and allow other forms of ballots (electronic, for example) in the state’s elections. It is already against the law for noncitizens to vote in the state’s elections.

Proposition A

​The initiative would gradually raise the minimum wage in the state to $15 per hour and guarantee workers in the state the ability to earn up to seven paid sick days per year.

The timeline for the minimum wage increases would be an increase to $13.75 per hour as of Jan. 1, 2025, and then $15 per hour in 2026.

A yes vote would support raising the minimum wage and guaranteeing sick days off for workers.

A no vote would reject the minimum wage hike and guaranteed sick days.

Important matters are on Tuesday’s ballot. We encourage voters to examine the initiatives and cast informed votes.