Missouri voters appeared headed toward rejecting a Republican-backed congressional map and new abortion restrictions Tuesday night, while supporting a measure that would make it harder for state lawmakers to undo laws approved by voters.
The results pointed to setbacks for Republican lawmakers on two contentious issues, including abortion rights, which Missourians voted to protect just two years ago.
Proposition A, which would put new congressional boundaries approved by Republican lawmakers in 2025 into effect, was losing by a wide margin. With 65% of votes counted, 62.1% opposed the measure and 37.9% supported it.
Amendment 3, which would repeal the abortion protections approved in 2024, was trailing 55.9% to 44.1%, with 66% reporting.
Voters were taking a different position on Amendment 6, giving 60.1% support to a proposal intended to protect citizen-approved laws from legislative interference. About 59% of the vote had been counted.
The three measures raised different questions, but each involved the balance of power between Missouri voters and their elected representatives.
Republican redistricting plan faces defeat
The vote on Proposition A followed a months-long fight over Missouri’s congressional boundaries that stretched from the Legislature to the courts.
Republican lawmakers approved a new map in 2025, backed by President Donald Trump, that would make it more difficult for Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Kansas City to retain his seat.
The effort was part of a broader Republican push to gain seats in the U.S. House ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Opponents collected signatures to force a statewide referendum on the map. Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected the petition effort, arguing that congressional redistricting could not be challenged through a referendum.
The Missouri Supreme Court disagreed.
In September, the court unanimously ruled that congressional redistricting laws were subject to voter referendums. The decision set the stage for additional legal battles, including proceedings before the U.S. Supreme Court.
The 2022 congressional boundaries ultimately remained in place for Tuesday’s general election. A defeat for Proposition A would keep those boundaries rather than allow the Republican-backed 2025 map to take effect in future elections.
The newer map had divided portions of Kansas City that had been part of Cleaver’s 5th Congressional District, making the district more favorable to Republicans.
Cleaver, who is Black, won reelection Tuesday under the congressional boundaries adopted in 2022, defeating Republican Rick Brattin. The longtime Kansas City congressman was the principal target of the Republican redistricting effort, which sought to weaken his Democratic district by shifting voters into neighboring districts and adding more heavily Republican areas.
Cleaver and U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell of St. Louis, who also won reelection Tuesday, are the two Black Democrats representing Missouri in Congress. Bell defeated Republican Paul Berry in the 1st Congressional District. The two men hold the state’s only Democratic seats in the U.S. House, although Democrat Fred Wellman was leading Republican incumbent Ann Wagner in the 2nd District late Tuesday night.
Abortion rights face another test
Missouri voters approved constitutional protections for reproductive freedom in 2024, including abortion through fetal viability. The measure overturned the state’s near-total abortion ban.
Republican lawmakers returned the issue to voters this year with Amendment 3.
The proposal would repeal the 2024 protections and prohibit most abortions, with exceptions for medical emergencies, certain fetal anomalies, rape and incest. The rape and incest exceptions would apply only during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Amendment 3 also would prohibit gender transition procedures for minors, including certain medications and surgeries. Missouri law already restricts gender-affirming care for minors.
The proposal became controversial before voters even reached the polls.
The original ballot summary prepared by lawmakers emphasized restrictions on gender transition procedures without explicitly stating that the amendment would repeal the reproductive rights protections approved in 2024.
A judge rejected that summary, requiring revised language that disclosed the proposed repeal.
Supporters of Amendment 3 argued that it would restore abortion restrictions and protect minors from gender transition procedures. Opponents accused lawmakers of trying to reverse a decision voters had already made.
The St. Louis American opposed Amendment 3 in an editorial that criticized lawmakers for combining abortion restrictions with provisions concerning transgender health care.
With roughly two-thirds of the vote counted Tuesday night, 55.9% of voters opposed Amendment 3.
If that margin holds, the reproductive rights protections adopted in 2024 will remain in the Missouri Constitution.
Voters favor protections for citizen initiatives
Amendment 6 was drawing strong support Tuesday, reflecting another long-running dispute in Missouri politics: how much authority lawmakers should have to change laws enacted directly by voters.
Missourians have used the initiative process in recent years to expand Medicaid, raise the minimum wage and establish constitutional protections for reproductive freedom.
Lawmakers have challenged or sought changes to some voter-approved measures.
Amendment 6 would make legislative intervention considerably more difficult.
Under the proposal, lawmakers seeking to change or repeal a citizen-approved measure would need support from at least 80% of each legislative chamber to place the proposed change before voters. Voters would then decide whether to approve it.
The amendment also would establish the initiative and referendum process as a fundamental right, preserve existing petition signature requirements and maintain the statewide majority needed to approve ballot measures.
It would prohibit lawmakers from weakening the petition process and protect courts’ authority to revise misleading ballot summaries.
Supporters say the measure would prevent lawmakers from undermining decisions made at the ballot box. Opponents argue that the 80% requirement would make it too difficult for elected representatives to correct or revise voter-approved laws.
With 59% of the vote counted, Amendment 6 had 60.1% support.
Its apparent success came as voters were rejecting two other measures that arose from Republican legislative efforts, although the proposals addressed different issues and had separate campaigns.
Two additional constitutional amendments were on Tuesday’s ballot.
Amendment 7, which would create the Show-Me Prosperity Fund to invest state money in hopes of eventually replacing certain tax revenue, was losing 61.6% to 38.4%, with 58% reporting.
Amendment 8, which would establish constitutional requirements for electing county sheriffs and restrict their removal from office, was narrowly ahead. The proposal had 50.6% support, compared with 49.4% opposed, with 55% reporting.
All results were unofficial, with additional votes still being counted Tuesday night.