Kansas City, Missouri – A congressional map that would have split Kansas City three ways will stay off the books. An effort to roll back reproductive rights also failed. For Mayor Quinton Lucas, last week’s election delivered several reasons to celebrate.
Lucas praised Missouri voters after they rejected Amendments 3 and 7 and Proposition A while approving Amendment 6 last Tuesday. He described the results as another rebuke of statewide Republican priorities and a demand for leaders to focus on schools, workers, hospitals and everyday costs.
“Once again, Missourians have chosen individual freedoms over special interests, rejecting statewide Republican efforts to control our choices, take away our voices, and harm our quality of life,” Lucas said.
The mayor’s celebration followed a broader series of ballot defeats for proposals he opposed. Three months earlier, about 80% of voters rejected Amendment 4, which would have made citizen-led constitutional amendments harder to pass.
About 83% rejected Amendment 5, which would have phased out Missouri’s state income tax.
For Kansas City, the defeat of Proposition A carried a direct consequence: the congressional districts adopted in 2022 remain in place for future elections unless lawmakers enact another map.
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The rejected proposal asked voters to decide the fate of a congressional map introduced by the governor at President Donald Trump’s direction in 2025.
That plan, House Bill 1, would have divided Kansas City among the 4th, 5th and 6th Congressional Districts. It also would have connected the 5th District to Republican areas in western and central Missouri.
Lucas argued that the changes would have weakened Kansas City’s political voice while serving a push to add a Republican congressional seat.
“Tonight, Missourians rejected a rigged map and told politicians in Washington and Jefferson City we’ve had enough,” he said.
The referendum reached voters after petitioners submitted more than 300,000 signatures. On Sept. 3, the Missouri Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the map could not take effect without voter approval. The U.S. Supreme Court also turned back three attempts to use it in this year’s election.
Lucas credited the outcome to the people who collected signatures, the judges who protected the referendum process and voters who worked their way through a long ballot.
“Tonight, democracy wins. Kansas City wins.”
The mayor also welcomed the rejection of Amendment 3, describing it as a second unsuccessful Republican effort to deny women reproductive rights. He said Missourians had now voted twice to protect constitutional access to legal abortion and birth control.
“Having now spoken twice at the ballot box to protect access to legal abortion and birth control in our state constitution, Missouri voters have once again rejected statewide Republican efforts to control women’s bodies, control women’s health, and control women’s choices,” Lucas said.
Across his statements, Lucas tied the separate ballot decisions to a larger argument about Missouri’s direction. He said residents wanted better schools, lower prices and higher wages, and criticized state leaders for concentrating on national political disputes and personal healthcare decisions.
He also called for greater local control over decision-making, including policing and public safety in Missouri cities, and urged politicians to direct more attention to workers and hospitals.
The mayor framed the results as a message extending beyond one election. While celebrating the defeated proposals, he pointed toward 2028 and said he wanted to work with others seeking a better future for the state.
“We are not far right in Missouri. We want freedom and a fair shot. I look forward to working with all who want a better Missouri in 2028 and long after.”
