Election Day: Republicans keep control in MO, KS legislatures

Our live election results page for all the races important to Kansas City area voters will be updated throughout the night.

6:20 a.m. | According to unofficial results, Republicans will maintain their grip on both the Missouri and Kansas state legislatures.

With the return of Gov. Mike Parson, Republicans control the entirety of the Missouri state government.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly was not up for reeleciton this year, meaning Republicans will have to settle for control of the legislature alone.

5:30 a.m. | Aaron Coleman, the 20-year-old who admitted to circulating revenge porn and other abuse of young girls online, will represent part of Kansas City, Kansas, in the state legislature.

Coleman won Tuesday's general election race with 3,496 votes. There were 2,013 write-in votes, though it's unknown whose name voters submitted.

Stan Frownfelter, the seven-term Democratic incumbent ousted by Coleman, had mounted a write-in campaign.

3:50 a.m. | Jackson County voters approved a measure to fund 911 services in the county.

Jackson County residents who subscribe to a 911-enabled communication service will pay a monthly fee.

The fee, which will not be more than $1, will be deposited in the county’s E-911 System Fund, not into the general fund.

The measure passed with 52% of the vote. — HG

3:30 a.m. | The City of Buckner will see a sales tax increase for the first time since the 70s after the measure passed with 53% of the vote.

The sales tax will generate around $220,000 for the city's general fund, the money from which goes toward city infrastructure, the police department and the city's rainy day fund. — HG

1:26 a.m. | Two years after voters overwhelmingly passed “Clean Missouri” reforms, changes related to the state’s process for drawing legislative districts were rolled back Tuesday with passage of Amendment 3.

Nearly 1.5 million Missouri residents voted for Amendment 1 — the Clean Missouri amendment — in 2018, which passed with more than 62% of the vote.

With all but 29 of the state's 3,692 precincts reporting, the vote was much closer Tuesday, but the old system has been restored with roughly 51% of the vote. The margin was a little more than 52,000 votes as the final few ballots were counted early Wednesday morning.

1:08 a.m. | President Trump will address the country from the White House with the 2020 race against Democratic challenger Joe Biden undecided.

12:01 a.m. | Missouri voters decided not to impose term limits on additional state executives, rejecting Amendment 1 on Tuesday at the ballot box.

The governor and state treasurer are limited to two terms in Missouri. Amendment 1 would have subjected the lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state auditor and attorney general to two terms as well, but the amendment failed by more than 5%.

11:48 p.m. | Jean Peters Baker will remain Jackson County prosecutor after winning handily in Kansas City, Missouri, but losing by more than 11,500 votes against Republican challenger Tracey Chappell in eastern Jackson County.

Baker was first appointed as prosecutor in 2011 and was elected to office in 2012. She now has been reelected two times.

She is only the second woman to hold the office.

11:25 p.m. | Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr., whose order to remove to the Andrew Jackson statues outside the county's courthouses downtown and in Independence was overruled by the county legislature and out to a vote instead, issued a statement after voters decided to keep the statues:

11:12 p.m. | Jay Ashcroft will remain Missouri’s Secretary of State for another four years.

First elected in 2016, Ashcroft won a second term. He is the son of former Missouri governor and U.S. senator John Ashcroft.

10:58 p.m. | Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Dupree Sr. was reelected. He was running unopposed.

10:50 p.m. | Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, a Democrat from Missouri, will once again represent the Kansas City, Missouri, area in congress.

Cleaver has served as Missouri’s 5th District representative since 2005. He serves on the Financial Services, Homeland Security and Modernization of Congress. committees

The longtime incumbent defeated Republican nominee Ryan Derks and Libertarian nominee Robin Dominick, though Derks actually edged Cleaver in eastern Jackson County.

10:39 p.m.| More than 60% of voters in Kansas City, Missouri, voted to remove the Andrew Jackson statues outside the Jackson County courthouses downtown and in Independence, but more than 72% of voters in the rest of Jackson County said no.

That means the statues of Jackson will remain.

Protestors defaced the statue in front of the downtown courthouse over the summer.

Jackson, who was the seventh President in U.S. history, was a slaveowner and oversaw the Trail of Tears, which relocated Native Americans.

10:35 p.m. | Scott Fitzpatrick will remain in his role as Missouri treasurer after fending off Democratic challenger Vicki Englund in the general election.

The former state representative, who served as chairman of the budget committee, was appointed to the office in 2018 to replace Eric Schmitt, who was tapped to be the state’s attorney general after Josh Hawley’s election to the U.S. Senate.

10:33 p.m. | Voters in Clay County overwhelmingly approved the creation of a county constitution with more than 81% of voters affirming the change in governance.

"This Constitution prohibits officeholders from voting on their own pay increases, requires nonpartisan elections, requires term limits for Commissioners, allows recall of officeholders, allows for citizen petitions, requires campaign contribution limits, prohibits officeholders from hiring family members, prohibits former Commissioners from being hired by the County within two years of leaving office, adds restrictions on public debt, and creates a citizen review commission to propose constitutional amendments for voter approval.”

Citizens voted in April to establish a Constitutional Commission of 14 members appointed by judges in the Clay County Circuit Court. Members had to be from equal political parties to explore a new foundation for the county's government.

10:27 p.m. | Darryl Forté, who ran unopposed, will remain Jackson County sheriff after receiving more than 260,000 votes.

Forté was appointed as the county’s sheriff in 2018 after former Sheriff Mike Sharp resigned and won an election in 2018 to remain the sheriff for the remainder of the term leading up to this election.

Forté defeated Sharp in the Democratic primary in August with 81% of the vote.

He is the first Black sheriff in Jackson County history and previously served as the Kansas City, Missouri, chief of police for seven years before retiring from the position in 2017.

10:23 p.m. | Embattled Democratic state House of Representatives candidate Aaron Coleman won handily despite a relatively organized and effective Republican write-in campaign.

Coleman received nearly 3,500 votes in the 37th District state representative race, according to unofficial final results from the Wyandotte County Election Office. There were more than 2,000 write-in votes.

10:15 p.m. | Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt won his first full term Tuesday.

The Republican attorney general defeated Democrat Richard Finneran.

Schmitt was appointed to the office by Gov. Mike Parson after then-Attorney General Josh Hawley was elected to the U.S. Senate. Schmitt assumed the office in January 2019.

He previously served as Missouri state treasurer and as a state senator.

10:10 p.m. | Johnson County Commissioner Mike Brown, who was reprimanded in September by his fellow commissioners for a social media post urging his supporters to buy firearms and ammunition for a "coming war," has been voted out.

According to unofficial final results from the Johnson County Election Office, Brown came up more than 2,000 votes short against challenger Shirley Allenbrand, who received 23,059 votes, nearly 48.3% of the vote.

Brown only received 21,014 votes in the Johnson County Commission 6th District race.

Jeff Meyers won by a 16% margin for the 2nd District county commission seat over Rob Patterson, while Charlotte O'Hara won the 3rd District seat by 14% over Stacy Obringer-Varhall.

10:04 p.m. | After emerging from a three-way primary fight, Kansas State Treasurer Jake LaTurner is headed to Congress.

LaTurner, 32, ousted incumbent Rep. Steve Watkins during the Republican primary in August.

He then cruised to victory Tuesday in the general election against Topeka Mayor Michelle De La Isla, winning the Kansas 2nd District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

10:01 p.m. | Republican Roger Marshall will become the next U.S. senator from Kansas after defeating Democratic opponent Barbara Bollier in Tuesday’s election.

9:57 p.m. | Voters in Kansas’ 3rd Congressional District sent Democratic incumbent Rep. Sharice Davids back to Washington on Tuesday night.

9:50 p.m. | U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, a Republican from Missouri, won reelection in Missouri’s 6th District.

Graves has represented the district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2001. The district covers the northern third of Missouri and includes parts of Jackson, Clay and Platte counties.

The incumbent easily defeated Democrat Gena Ross and Libertarian Jim Higgins.

Graves serves on the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

9:47 p.m. | U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, a Missouri Republican, was reelected in Missouri’s 4th District.

Hartzler has served in the position since 2011. The district covers an area south of the Kansas City metro over to central and south central Missouri.

Hartzler, who received more than 68% of the vote in Cass County, defeated Democrat Lindsey Simmons, who received more than 29% of the vote in Cass County, and Libertarian Steven Koonse.

Hartzler serves on the agriculture and armed services committees.

9:41 p.m. | Republican Mike Parson has won the election for governor in Missouri, according to a projection from The Associated Press.

Parson won his first full term in the office on Tuesday, defeating Democratic challenger Nicole Galloway by a solid margin.

Parson, who took over as governor in 2018 following former Gov. Eric Greitens’ resignation, campaigned largely on his record in office over the past two years. But the COVID-19 pandemic put a central focus of the race on Parson’s response to a crisis that has left more than 3,000 Missourians dead and nearly 200,000 infected since March.

9:32 p.m. | President Trump is projected as the winner again in Missouri, according to a projection from The Associated Press.

The Republican incumbent defeated Democratic challenger Joe Biden in the Show-Me State. Four years ago, Trump easily carried Missouri in defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Trump narrowly carried Platte County with 29,251 votes compared to 28,111 votes for Deomcratic challenger Joe Biden with 100% of precincts reporting.

9:15 p.m. | Running unopposed, Johnson County Sheriff Calvin Hayden was reelected despite nearly 6% or voters using the write-in option.

Hayden received nearly 75% of the vote with nearly no vote cast on nearly 66,000 of more than 336,000 ballots, according to unofficial final results from the Johnson County Election Office. — TP

9:04 p.m. | Kansas has had its most competitive U.S. Senate race in decades, but President Donald Trump carried the state as expected, according to a projection from The Associated Press.

8:52 p.m. | Johnson County voters approved a measure Tuesday night that could make it easier for establishments in the county to comply with liquor laws.

Voters were asked whether the county should relax restrictions placed on bars and other establishments that at least 30% of their revenues come from food sales.

Voters overwhelmingly passed the measure, which removes the 30% requirement, with more than 75% of the vote, according to unofficial final results from the Johnson County Election Board.

There were more than 250,000 yes votes compared to fewer than 73,000 no votes.

8:42 p.m. | Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe has won reelection, according to unofficial final results posted by the Johnson County Election Office.

Howe received 50.6% of more than 336,000 votes cast.

Challenger Zach V. Thomas received 46.7% of the votes, coming up a little more than 13,000 votes shy of unseating Howe.

Howe was first elected to the position in 2008. He ran unopposed in 2012 and 2016. — TP

8:38 p.m. | When Barbara Bollier announced her intentions to run for U.S. Senate, she vacated her Kansas State Senate seat. But that state will remain in Democratic hands as Democrat Ethan Corson defeated Laura McConwell 58% to 40%. — SH

8:36 p.m. | Rep. Sharice Davids appears on track to retain her Kansas 3rd District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, based on unofficial final results in Johnson County.

Davids received 172,348, or 51.3% of the vote, in Johnson County, which comprises 514 of the congressional districts 643 precincts.

She had a nearly 21,000-vote lead over Republican challenger Amanda Adkins, who had received 151,380 votes, or 45% of the vote.

Democrats also had a strong showing state and national traces in Johnson County.

Barbara Bollier, the Democratic candidate for retiring Sen. Pat Roberts’ seat, received 171,401, or 51% of the vote, in Johnson County compared to 146,575 votes for Republican candidate Roger Marshall.

The Kansas Secretary of State shows Bollier with a less than 10,000-vote lead with 973 of 3,587 precincts statewide reporting.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris received 26,000 more votes than President Trump in Johnson County, a nearly 8% margin. — TP

8:10 p.m. | The candidates for Kansas' 2nd Congressional District seat spoke to supporters early in the evening on Tuesday, well before any definitive results had come in.

Republican candidate Jake LaTurner, the Kansas state treasurer, spoke to reporters as the polls closed in Kansas. He said he felt optimistic about early returns.

Topeka mayor and Democratic candidate Michelle De La Isla addressed her supporters by video.

"I am proud to say that we have run a model, clean race that has not only made Kansans proud but most importantly it has made my daughters proud," De La Isla said.

De La Isla had a sizable lead over LaTurner early in the evening, though only a small number of precincts were reporting results.

7:50 p.m. | Ballots are beginning to show up at the Johnson County Election Office from the polls, which closed within the last hour. Advance voting results in Johnson County can be found on the election office website. — TP

7:25 p.m. | Early voting in Johnson County was heavily tilted toward Democrats as mamy election observers expected.

Incumbent Sharice Davids owns a nearly 40,000-vote lead over challenger Amanda Adkins in the Kansas 3rd District race for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Davids amassed 147,199 voters, or 56%, compared to 104,539 votes, or 40%, for Adkins in early voting.

Democrats Barbara Bollier, who is running for U.S. Senate in Kansas, and Joe Biden also built comfortable leads based on early voting in Johnson County. — TP

7 p.m. | The polls in Missouri and Kansas have closed, but voters still in line at polling locations should remain there. Under state law, anyone in line to vote before the polls close will be allowed to vote.

6:17 p.m. | With nearly an hour remaining before polls close, near three-fourths of all registered voters in Wyandotte County have cast a ballot.

County Election Commissioner Bruce Newby said that represents record turnout for any election. — TP

Wyandotte County received 43,785 mail-in and advance ballots, while more than another 17,000 voters had voted in-person Tuesday, according to Newby.

Wyandotte County expects to continue counting ballots through the end of the week, including mail-in ballots postmarked by Tuesday that arrive at the local election office by Friday. — TP

4:20 p.m. | 41 Action News reporter McKenzie Nelson has been at Arrowhead Stadium this afternoon as Kansas City, Missouri, voters living in Jackson County arrived to cast their ballots. As of 4 p.m., more than 1,700 ballots had been cast.

4:10 p.m. | The Douglas County, Kansas, Election office says more than 50,000 people had voted in the county as of 3 p.m. - SH

3:20 p.m. | Corey Dillon, Democratic director of the Jackson County Election Board, said officials hope to report the first wave of results between 7-9 p.m. Tuesday. Dillon said it's unclear how late election officials will be tallying the votes on Tuesday, but it depends on how many voters are still waiting in line at 7 p.m. when the polls close.

Dillon said she expects officials will still be counting absentee and mail-in ballots on Wednesday and possibly Thursday.

3 p.m. | Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab's office says robocalls to voters telling them to stay home have been reported nationwide.

By mid-afternoon on Tuesday, Schwab's office said it had received only a "handful" of calls about the robocalls and said the issue was not widespread, though voters should stay alert.

Kansas officials called the FBI and referred the issue for further investigation.

Schwab's office also said Tuesday afternoon that 83% of advance mail-in ballots had been returned. While the state had been expecting a 70% turnout, there's now a chance that it will exceed that number.

2:30 p.m. | Johnson County set records this fall with the number of voters who cast their ballots early. As of Monday, more than 260,000 voters had already cast their ballot.

Those ballots will be among a large batch of results the county plans to release around 7:30 p.m. tonight.

Johnson County Election Board spokesperson Nathan Carter says the 7:30 p.m. batch will include mail-in ballots and ballots that were dropped off at one of the county's 10 ballot drop-off locations.

Complete election deadline information is available on the election board's website.

Carter described the voting process as "going smoothly" as of 2:30 p.m. - SH

2 p.m. | According to the Douglas County, Kansas, Election office, more than 46,000 people had cast a ballot as of 11 a.m. this morning. - SH

1 p.m. | Kansas City, Missouri, Police, and local pastors are holding a rally at the Mill Creek Fountain calling for peace during election Day. - SH

12:40 p.m. | In a tweet, the Kansas Secretary of State's office said Tuesday afternoon that voters should be weary of robocalls telling them to stay home. — SH

Noon | 41 Action News reporter Charlie Keegan has been out at Arrowhead Stadium this morning. The stadium is a place where Kansas City, Missouri, residents living in Jackson County are able to vote.

There, he came across a first-time voter who described the experience. — SH

11: 42 a.m. | Voters across Kansas City are reporting long lines at their polling places. — HG

11:40 a.m. | Restoration crews have made quick work to remove the graffiti spray-painted overnight at the World War I Museum and Memorial. — SH

11:12 a.m. | Curbside voters at Union Station are reporting wait times as long as two hours.

The Kansas City Election Board encouraged those who are differently abled, or who have tested positive for or been exposed to COVID-19, to vote curbside at Union Station. — HG

9:51 a.m. | Kansas City Chiefs President Mark Donovan and coach Andy Reid cast their ballots at Arrowhead Stadium this morning.

For the first time in the stadium's history, it is a polling place on Election Day. Any voters who live in Kansas City, Missouri, inside Jackson County, are elegible to vote there. — HG

9:32 a.m. | Vandals hit the National WWI Museum and Memorial overnight.

President and CEO Matthew Naylor said they hit both sides of the entrance with spray painted phrases, including "don't vote," and "fight for revolution.

The museum is a polling location. — HG

9:30 a.m. | Some businesses on the Country Club Plaza boarded up windows and doors early Tuesday, including Helzberg Collections, Kendra Scott and Lucky.

It was not immediately clear if the measure was taken due to Election Day.

41 Action News has reached out to Plaza representatives for comment. — HG

ORIGINAL | Election Day has finally arrived and 41 Action News is ready and eager to deliver the election results, insights and context that matter to Kansas City voters.

At the polls, voters will cast ballots on a wide range of federal, state and local offices and issues in the Nov. 3 general election, which will be conducted amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and one of the most divisive political climates in generations.

Our election breakdown provides in depth information about the candidates for major offices in Kansas and Missouri.

Hundreds of thousands of Kansas City-area residents already voted — in person, by mail or by returning ballots to the local election office — but many hundreds of thousands more are expected to hit the polls Tuesday, especially in Missouri.

How to get help on Election Day

Voters who encounter issues on Election Day have several ways to get those issues addressed:

• First, know your rights;
• Should a problem arise, call the Election Protection Hotline — 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) for English, 888-839-8682 for Spanish, 888-274-8683 for Asian languages or 844-925-5287 for Arabic — which has established a partnership with the ACLU of Kansas and will have lawyers available.

With more restrictions on early voting and a larger population base, there will be more people voting — and longer waits expected, as a result — at polling locations on the Missouri side.

That also sets the stage for more issues among voters, so what should you do if you encounter a problem at the polls?:

• Jackson County Election Board told 41 Action News that “we would prefer they call us directly at 816-325-4600.”
• For voters using Kansas City, Missouri, Election Board polls, ask for the Verification Assistant Specialist to troubleshoot any issues on Nov. 3 — things like a misspelled name or change in address. If someone on site can’t fix the issue, they will contact the KCEB main office for additional help.
• There’s a similar process for resolving issues at Platte County Board of Elections locations, where Supervisory Judges on site at polling locations can handle most issues. Voters who know they need to update their current address before voting, should skip the check-in line and go straight to change of address table to save time.
• If you have a problem at a Clay County Board of Election Commissioners site, call the main office at 816-415-8683 or reach out directly to Repuclican Director Patty Lamb at 816-407-9514 or Democrat Director Tiffany Francis at 816-415-1716.
• Voters in Cass County should ask for the Presiding Judge, who will be wearing a badge, or call the Cass County Clerk/Election Authority Office at 816-380-8102.

More information is available on our Election 2020 page.

Need help getting to polling location?

Voters who live in Kansas City, Missouri, will have access to free shuttle rides to and from Arrowhead Stadium, which is a polling place for the first time, courtesy of RideKC and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ 15 and the Mahomies Foundation.

Older voters also could ride to the polls in style, while voters in some of the city’s most impoverished areas can access free rides through Community Creating Opportunity’s mobile app.

Lyft is offering a discount on rides to the polls, Uber is as well among other initiatives.