KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tuesday should be an efficient election day for voters in Kansas City and Jackson County while Johnson and Wyandotte county voters have a number of races to weigh in on.
There are just three questions on the ballot for Jackson County voters, but two of them will have an impact on your tax dollars.
You can find the sample ballot with the full questions on the Kansas City Election Board’s website.
A local use tax — effectively an online sales tax — for all of Jackson County is on the ballot.
A use tax is similar to a sales tax. Simply, while the latter is imposed on retail sales and services, a use tax is applied when residents purchase goods and services from sellers outside the state.
That can mean purchases bought online, over the phone, through a catalog or via mail-order supply, according to the state. It doesn’t apply if a Missouri resident buys from a Missouri-based retailer online. Missouri already has a 4.2% use tax statewide.
In Kansas City, voters will have to choose if they want to extend a sales tax to fund the public bus transit system. There’s another question to change the designation of a 5-acre city park property.
Other Missouri issues
Voters in the Northland, Parkville leaders have put two questions on the ballot — one asking for a 2.5% sales tax on out-of-state online purchases and another asking for a 3% tax on recreational marijuana sales.
In Clay County, leaders are asking voters to approve a new fee to fund the 911 system. Proposition A on the ballot asks if Clay County can impose a $1 monthly fee on any wireless device capable of calling 911.
Over in Cass County, the towns of Drexel and Pleasant Hill are both asking voters to approve a 3% local sales tax on recreational marijuana. Harrisonville has also proposed a use tax, or out-of-state online sales tax.
Kansas races
On the Kansas side of the state line, there are multiple mayoral, city council, county commission and school board races in Johnson and Wyandotte County.
You can find a Johnson County sample ballot here and a Wyandotte County sample ballot here.
Residents in major cities like Lenexa, Leawood, Shawnee and Olathe will vote on their next mayor. Meanwhile, council seats are open in cities like Prairie Village, Overland Park and Merriam.
In Wyandotte County, multiple commission seats are up for vote, and residents can vote on school board positions for KCK, Turner, Piper and Bonner Springs school districts.
What to know
Polls will be open until 7 p.m. Tuesday in both Missouri and Kansas.
Don’t forget that you will need to show a non-expired Missouri or Kansas driver’s license, U.S. passport, or government-issued photo ID in order to vote.
If your ID expired after Nov. 8, 2022, you can still use it for voting purposes. If you do not have a valid photo ID but are registered to vote, you will be able to cast a provisional ballot.
