KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Voters in Missouri will decide on Nov. 5 whether to change to restore abortion rights, legalize sports betting and increase the minimum wage.
An initiative to approve a casino at the Lake of the Ozarks did not meet the requirements to go on the ballot.
The Missouri Secretary of State’s Office announced which initiative petitions received certificates of sufficiency Tuesday.
Each of the citizen-led initiatives needed to gather enough signatures from registered Missouri voters to place the questions on the ballot.
Here’s a look at each of the questions.
- The Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative
- This question would allow abortions up to fetal viability. Abortions are currently banned in Missouri except for medical emergencies.
- The proposal defines fetal viability as “the point in pregnancy when, in the good faith judgment of a treating health care professional and based on the particular facts of the case, there is a significant likelihood of the fetus’s sustained survival outside the uterus without the application of extraordinary medical measures.”
- Sports betting
- This question would allow sports betting online and at gambling boats for people over the age of 21.
- The state would collect a 10% tax on money gaming companies collect from the losses of bettors. That money will go to public education and a Compulsive Gambling Prevention Fund.
- The state estimates sports betting could generate up to $28.9 million annually for the government.
- Minimum wage
- This question increases the minimum wage in Missouri beginning Jan. 1, 2025, from $12.30 per hour to $13.75 per hour.
- The amendment would increase the minimum wage again on Jan. 1, 2026, to $15 per hour.
- The minimum wage could change in subsequent years based on changes to the Consumer Price Index.
- This initiative also requires employers to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. Governments and school districts would be exempt from the requirements.
The state already approved putting two other questions on November’s ballot.
Amendment 6 preserves funding for law enforcement and other criminal justice-related personnel.
Amendment 7 asks voters to change the constitution to be consistent with state law in banning noncitizens from voting. Approving the amendment would also prohibit ranked-choice voting.
The secretary of state determined a push to allow the state to issue one additional gambling boat license did not meet the requirements to go on the ballot.
The license would've applied to a portion of the Osage River near the Lake of the Ozarks.
The group, Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, pushed for the pro-abortion rights initiative petition. Members of the group called Tuesday’s announcement “thrilling.”
They believe the petition is about restoring personal choice to women.
“Voting yes will end our state’s extreme ban and restore our freedom and dignity to make decisions around pregnancy and abortion,” said Tori Schafer, director for policy and campaigns for the ACLU of Missouri. “This amendment is about more than just policy, it’s about freedom. It’s about who is in charge of your personal medical decisions. It’s about reclaiming the right to make the best decisions for you, your family and your future.”
Opponents to the question, including Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, called the initiative “deceptive and extreme.” It’s encouraging voters to choose no in November.
Missourians for Constitutional Freedom believes clinics could begin offering abortions 30 days after the initiative is approved by voters. Schafer said the group is prepared for any lawsuits challenging the amendment.
Missourians for Healthy Families and Fair Wages, the Missouri Workers Center, Stand Up KC, and Missouri Business for a Healthy Economy are all supportive of the petition to place the minimum wage question on the ballot.
The ballot measure also would guarantee most minimum wage workers can earn seven days of paid sick leave per year.
Bill Thompson has worked minimum wage jobs without sick time or family medical leave throughout his entire working career. He had to quit his job to care for his sick mother in 2019.
“I hope other people don’t have to face that kind of desperate situation that I was facing," Thompson said. "I was worried about feeding myself while I was taking care of my dying mother because my job didn’t pay sick leave."
Opponents to the proposal said increasing wages could hurt small businesses.
The Winning for Missouri Education coalition is the group behind the sports betting initiative. A spokesman for the group sent a statement Tuesday calling this step a victory.
“By keeping sports betting dollars in-state, we can invest in our students and communities and ensure a brighter future for Missouri,” Jack Cardetti wrote.
—