Tuesday, April 4, 2023 is Election Day in Missouri. This primary municipal election will help decide who makes the decisions at the local level — like development, city budgets, and street resurfacing.
Each city and county will have a different ballot with candidates and questions specific to them. Although we’re going to focus on Kansas City, MO, here are the links to several county election boards where you’ll find things like sample ballots and voter status:
KCMO City Council candidates
Council candidates include both in-district and at-large positions. In-district is only voted on by the people in that candidate’s district, where at-large is voted on by all voters. Find descriptions of all the candidates running in your district with this resource. For a more in-depth look, The Beacon has extensive interviews with all the candidates.
You can check your district by looking up your voter status with the KC Election Board. By checking your voter status, you can also find your polling place and get a sample ballot, which shows all the candidates + items you will vote on.
Ballot questions
In addition to voting on people, KC voters will also be asked four questions:
- Should KCMO add a 3% tax on recreational marijuana sales? Funding would go toward the Department of Health, cleanup services, homeless prevention, and violence prevention.
- Should KCMO impose a 7.5% tax on short-term rentals that don’t currently have to pay the city’s Convention and Tourism Tax?
- Should KCMO increase the fee of an occupied room from $1.50 to $3 on all hotels, motels, and short-term rentals? Funding would go toward convention and tourism activities.
- Should Jackson County add a 3% tax on recreational marijuana sales? Funding would go toward community + veterans support services.