Elections
Progressives urge Alito recusal from Jan. 6 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court
WASHINGTON — Progressive lawmakers and organizers on Wednesday urged U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito to recuse himself from cases related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and to testify before Congress about two flags sympathetic to insurrectionists that were displayed outside his two homes. With the Supreme Court as their backdrop, […]
Missouri and Kansas families will be getting money for kids’ summer meals — eventually
Summer may be half over by the time Kansas families get extra food aid meant to see them through long hot days when school breakfasts and lunches disappear. For Missouri families, the aid may not arrive until a new school year is well underway. But that still beats the 13 states where families won’t be […]
PAC backing term-limited Missouri governor keeps raising, spending campaign cash
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has given no indication his name will ever appear on a ballot again after he leaves office at the end of this year. But the political action committee set up by his supporters to bankroll his political career continues raising and spending money. During the first three months of 2024, the […]
Missouri House puts questions of ranked-choice, non-citizen voting on the 2024 ballot
Arguments over the validity of banning non-citizen voting in Missouri, which is already illegal, were part of what ultimately killed an initiative petition bill prioritized by Republicans this session. But in the final hours of the legislative session on Friday, the House approved a non-citizen voting provision as part of a Senate bill which will […]
Republican lawmakers push litany of changes to Missouri voting laws
There’s been a steady push by Republicans this legislative session to regulate voting laws in Missouri. It isn’t new, but it’s been gaining steam. The bills seek to regulate — or restrict — provisions around who can vote and how, the way votes are counted and other matters related to election security. Almost all aim […]
Group turns in signatures to put minimum wage hike, paid sick leave on Missouri ballot
An initiative petition campaign that seeks to raise Missouri’s minimum wage delivered over 210,000 signatures to the Secretary of State’s Office Wednesday afternoon — nearly double the amount needed to make the statewide ballot. It is the first of five initiative petitions the Secretary of State’s office expects to deliver signatures this week. Petitioners need […]
Missouri House sends initiative petition bill back to Senate with ‘ballot candy’ reinstated
Legislation seeking to make it harder to change Missouri’s constitution through the initiative petition process was approved by the Missouri House on Thursday, sending it back to the Senate for a possible showdown between Republicans and Democrats over “ballot candy.” The bill was initially approved earlier this year after Democrats ended their 21-hour filibuster in […]
Missouri lawmaker wants congressional members to live in their districts
Rep. Aaron McMullen is fighting an uphill battle — and he knows it. McMullen, a Republican from Independence, is pushing legislation that would require Missouri’s members of Congress to reside in the district they represent. But there’s one problem: His proposal conflicts with the U.S. Constitution. Article 1 Section 2 of the Constitution states that […]
Divided U.S. Supreme Court wrestles with case of Pennsylvania man who joined Jan. 6 mob
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in a Jan. 6, 2021, case that could potentially upend convictions for a mass of Capitol riot defendants and slash some election interference charges against former President Donald Trump. The case, Fischer v. United States, centers on whether former Pennsylvania police officer and Jan. 6 defendant Joseph […]
What the KC stadium tax defeat says about teams, their subsidies and Jackson County voters
The Royals and the Chiefs had everything. Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce — fresh off of a Super Bowl victory — endorsed a “yes” vote in ads airing on TV and on YouTube. Endorsements rolled in from the city’s top political players: Mayor Quinton Lucas (belatedly), U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver and nearly every union in […]
Fearing political violence, more states ban firearms at polling places
Facing increased threats to election workers and superheated political rhetoric from former President Donald Trump and his supporters, more states are considering firearm bans at polling places and ballot drop boxes ahead of November’s presidential election. This month, New Mexico became the latest state to restrict guns where people vote or hand in ballots, joining […]
Freedom Caucuses push for conservative state laws, but getting attention is their big success
When a Republican colleague threatened to read aloud from a 2-foot stack of books — including a biblical guide to leadership and a tome by anti-tax activist Grover Norquist — to protest inaction on his bills last week, Missouri state Sen. Rick Brattin quickly took up the cause. Seizing on a chance to hijack the planned schedule, […]