On Tuesday, August 4, 2026, Missouri voters face a critical choice. Politicians in Jefferson City have placed two dangerous constitutional amendments on the primary election ballot, hoping low voter turnout will let them slip through.
Amendments 4 and 5 are direct attacks on our pockets, our communities, and our rural way of life. The Pettis County Democrats urge all Missourians to protect our state by voting NO on both measures.
Amendment 4 is a direct attempt by Jefferson City politicians to turn our state’s founding document on its head.
Article I, Section 1 of the Missouri Constitution is clear about where true authority lies:
“…all political power is vested in and derived from the people; that all government of right originates from the people, is founded upon their will only, and is instituted solely for the good of the whole.”
For over a century, honoring the “will of the people” has meant a fair, democratic process where the majority rules. Right now, if a citizen-led initiative wins a simple majority of votes statewide, it becomes law. Amendment 4 trashes that tradition by requiring a measure to win a majority in every single one of Missouri’s eight congressional districts to pass.
The Minority Veto: Under this rigged system, a ballot initiative could win an overwhelming 95% of the vote statewide, but if it falls short in just one single congressional district, it fails entirely. One lone district should not have the power to overrule the rest of the state.
Silencing Missouri Voters: This is designed to kill popular, bipartisan measures that politicians oppose. If this rule had been in place previously, voter-approved measures like expanding Medicaid healthcare for working families, raising the minimum wage, and protecting our state parks, soil, and clean water conservation funding would have been completely blocked.
Silencing the Rural Voice: While proponents claim this protects rural areas, it actually does the opposite by giving urban districts total veto power. If rural Missourians unite to pass an initiative protecting local property rights or farming interests, a single urban congressional district in Kansas City or St. Louis could kill it outright. Historically, independent farmers have used the ballot box to defend their livelihoods from corporate monopolies; Amendment 4 takes that tool away.
Defend the Bill of Rights: Our Constitution belongs to the people, not the politicians. A vote of the people should mean what it says: majority rules.
The Bottom Line on Amendment 4: It strips away the foundational political power guaranteed to you by Article I, Section 1, letting a tiny fraction of the state veto the will of a 95% majority. Protect your voting power—vote NO.
Amendment 5 sounds like a trick promise: it forces the legislature to eliminate Missouri’s individual income tax. But what proponents don’t tell you is how they plan to fill that massive $8.5 billion hole in the state budget. The reality—as confirmed by an appellate court rewrite of the misleading ballot language—is a massive shift of the tax burden directly onto working families and small businesses through an expanded sales tax.
A Tax Hike for 80% of Missourians: The Missouri Budget Project estimates that 80% of Missourians will see a net tax increase, paying an average of over $500 more each year, while the wealthiest few get a massive tax break.
The “Everything Tax”: To replace the lost revenue, politicians will be authorized to strip away existing constitutional limits and dramatically expand sales taxes on everyday necessities—like doctor’s visits, childcare, groceries, gasoline, car repairs, and medication—potentially raising overall combined state and local sales tax rates up to 20% in some areas.
A Massive New Tax on Buying a Home: By dismantling existing constitutional taxpayer protections, Amendment 5 opens the door for politicians to target the housing market. It threatens to overturn the voter-approved ban on real estate transfer taxes, potentially introducing a massive new sales tax applied directly to home purchases. A tax like this would add thousands of dollars to closing costs, making homeownership completely unaffordable for young families and first-time buyers in Pettis County.
A Direct Hit on Independent Farmers: Income tax is only paid on profit—if a farm has a bad year due to drought, pests, or low commodity prices, its income tax liability drops. Sales tax, however, must be paid on every single transaction regardless of profitability. Amendment 5 opens the door for lawmakers to tax critical farming inputs to balance the budget. Farmers could be forced to pay heavy sales taxes upfront on heavy machinery repairs, veterinary services, seed, and fertilizer just to put a crop in the ground or keep livestock alive.
Defunding Rural Infrastructure: State income tax funds 64% of our general revenue budget. Eliminating it risks devastating cuts to the very things rural communities and farms rely on most: rural road maintenance, bridge repairs for heavy equipment, and the local public schools that keep our small towns alive.
The Bottom Line on Amendment 5: It is an upside-down tax scheme that raises daily living costs for working families, fixed-income seniors, homebuyers, and independent farmers just to give billionaires a tax break. Vote NO.
Politicians put these amendments on the August 4th primary ballot instead of the November general election because they know turnout is lower, making it easier to pass bad laws in the dark. Don’t let them change our constitution without a fight.
Mark your calendar: Tuesday, August 4, 2026.
Check your registration: Make sure your voter registration is up to date.
Spread the word: Talk to your neighbors here in Pettis County. Remind them to flip the ballot and vote NO on Amendment 4 and Amendment 5.