2026 ballot measure forecast

Missouri Amendment 8

Constitutionally require elected county sheriffs

Writes four-year county sheriff elections and sheriff duties into the constitution, with St. Louis area exceptions, and allows removal only by quo warranto initiated by the Attorney General. The forecast has Yes at 75.9 percent against the 50 percent it needs, a >99% chance to pass.

Very likely to passConstitutional amendment referred by the legislatureCriminal justiceUpdated October 22, 2026
Chance to pass
>99%
2,000 simulations
Forecast Yes
75.9%
80% range 65 to 84
Needs
50%
a simple majority
Polling average
None
No public polls found
Where the Yes vote lands
needs 50
2035506580
History and structure
75.9% Yes
Polls
None
Forecast
75.9% Yes
Yes leans
Republican
Rule to pass
Simple majority. CCS HCS SS SJR 87 (2026).
The campaign

Placed by GOP legislature; no campaign or money reported.

Amendment 8 by county

Adair CountyAndrew CountyAtchison CountyAudrain CountyBarry CountyBarton CountyBates CountyBenton CountyBollinger CountyBoone CountyBuchanan CountyButler CountyCaldwell CountyCallaway CountyCamden CountyCape Girardeau CountyCarroll CountyCarter CountyCass CountyCedar CountyChariton CountyChristian CountyClark CountyClay CountyClinton CountyCole CountyCooper CountyCrawford CountyDade CountyDallas CountyDaviess CountyDeKalb CountyDent CountyDouglas CountyDunklin CountyFranklin CountyGasconade CountyGentry CountyGreene CountyGrundy CountyHarrison CountyHenry CountyHickory CountyHolt CountyHoward CountyHowell CountyIron CountyJackson CountyJasper CountyJefferson CountyJohnson CountyKnox CountyLaclede CountyLafayette CountyLawrence CountyLewis CountyLincoln CountyLinn CountyLivingston CountyMcDonald CountyMacon CountyMadison CountyMaries CountyMarion CountyMercer CountyMiller CountyMississippi CountyMoniteau CountyMonroe CountyMontgomery CountyMorgan CountyNew Madrid CountyNewton CountyNodaway CountyOregon CountyOsage CountyOzark CountyPemiscot CountyPerry CountyPettis CountyPhelps CountyPike CountyPlatte CountyPolk CountyPulaski CountyPutnam CountyRalls CountyRandolph CountyRay CountyReynolds CountyRipley CountySt. Charles CountySt. Clair CountySte. Genevieve CountySt. Francois CountySt. Louis CountySaline CountySchuyler CountyScotland CountyScott CountyShannon CountyShelby CountyStoddard CountyStone CountySullivan CountyTaney CountyTexas CountyVernon CountyWarren CountyWashington CountyWayne CountyWebster CountyWorth CountyWright CountySt. Louis CountySt. LouisJacksonSt. CharlesGreeneClayJeffersonBooneCassPlatteFranklinJasperChristian
No +30Yes +30Click a county to zoom · arrow keys step through counties by size
Where the margin is won
St. Louis County: Yes +122,349Jackson County: Yes +93,922St. Charles County: Yes +71,035Greene County: Yes +46,074Jefferson County: Yes +40,895Clay County: Yes +38,131Boone County: Yes +24,651Cass County: Yes +20,010Franklin County: Yes +19,949Jasper County: Yes +19,547Christian County: Yes +19,106Platte County: Yes +16,848St. Louis County: Yes +15,094Cape Girardeau County: Yes +14,842Cole County: Yes +13,870Lincoln County: Yes +12,183Buchanan County: Yes +11,733Newton County: Yes +11,281St. Francois County: Yes +10,543Taney County: Yes +10,428Camden County: Yes +9,582Johnson County: Yes +8,391Webster County: Yes +7,800Callaway County: Yes +7,636Howell County: Yes +7,627Stone County: Yes +7,452Warren County: Yes +7,368Lawrence County: Yes +7,300Butler County: Yes +7,062Phelps County: Yes +6,962Pettis County: Yes +6,882Laclede County: Yes +6,866Scott County: Yes +6,760Barry County: Yes +6,372Lafayette County: Yes +6,323Polk County: Yes +6,234Pulaski County: Yes +6,079Stoddard County: Yes +5,703Miller County: Yes +5,267Marion County: Yes +4,917Texas County: Yes +4,775Ray County: Yes +4,220Crawford County: Yes +4,211Benton County: Yes +4,092Randolph County: Yes +4,091Clinton County: Yes +4,075Washington County: Yes +4,038Henry County: Yes +4,035Dunklin County: Yes +3,933Perry County: Yes +3,880Wright County: Yes +3,835McDonald County: Yes +3,813Audrain County: Yes +3,793Morgan County: Yes +3,729Andrew County: Yes +3,670Adair County: Yes +3,572Nodaway County: Yes +3,512Ste. Genevieve County: Yes +3,470Vernon County: Yes +3,446Dallas County: Yes +3,339Saline County: Yes +3,299Osage County: Yes +3,279Bates County: Yes +3,255Cooper County: Yes +3,191Gasconade County: Yes +3,089Macon County: Yes +3,060Douglas County: Yes +3,052Pike County: Yes +2,985Cedar County: Yes +2,944Dent County: Yes +2,913Moniteau County: Yes +2,867Livingston County: Yes +2,624Bollinger County: Yes +2,622New Madrid County: Yes +2,548Barton County: Yes +2,513Ripley County: Yes +2,438Wayne County: Yes +2,425Montgomery County: Yes +2,319Madison County: Yes +2,274Ralls County: Yes +2,218Linn County: Yes +2,161Hickory County: Yes +1,975Ozark County: Yes +1,943Maries County: Yes +1,942Pemiscot County: Yes +1,940St. Clair County: Yes +1,925DeKalb County: Yes +1,894Oregon County: Yes +1,881Caldwell County: Yes +1,839Carroll County: Yes +1,800Howard County: Yes +1,794Iron County: Yes +1,765Lewis County: Yes +1,747Grundy County: Yes +1,727Monroe County: Yes +1,687Dade County: Yes +1,683Mississippi County: Yes +1,683Shannon County: Yes +1,630Harrison County: Yes +1,587Chariton County: Yes +1,556Daviess County: Yes +1,543Shelby County: Yes +1,308Gentry County: Yes +1,293Clark County: Yes +1,291Reynolds County: Yes +1,235Carter County: Yes +1,207Atchison County: Yes +1,048Sullivan County: Yes +985Putnam County: Yes +977Holt County: Yes +960Schuyler County: Yes +770Mercer County: Yes +754Scotland County: Yes +744Knox County: Yes +717Worth County: Yes +438
Yes +955,947 net votes from 115 countiesStatewide Yes +53.6, a 955,947 vote marginNo +0 net votes from 0 counties

Projected vote

1,783,937 votes on the question
ChoiceVotesShare
Yes1,369,94276.8%
No413,99523.2%
Total1,783,937100%
CountyYesNoTotalYes share
St. Louis County214,34992,000306,34970.0%
Jackson County142,66948,747191,41674.5%
St. Charles County102,57431,539134,11376.5%
Greene County65,60019,52685,12677.1%
Clay County57,55619,42576,98174.8%
St. Louis County45,24530,15175,39660.0%
Jefferson County55,14914,25469,40379.5%
Boone County39,94015,28955,22972.3%
Cass County27,4027,39234,79478.8%
Platte County25,7018,85334,55474.4%
Franklin County26,1266,17732,30380.9%
Jasper County25,5185,97131,48981.0%
Christian County24,5215,41529,93681.9%
Cape Girardeau County19,3994,55723,95681.0%
Cole County18,8454,97523,82079.1%
Buchanan County16,2884,55520,84378.1%
Lincoln County15,4553,27218,72782.5%
Newton County14,1872,90617,09383.0%
St. Francois County13,5693,02616,59581.8%
Taney County13,0882,66015,74883.1%
Camden County12,2222,64014,86282.2%
Johnson County11,2102,81914,02979.9%
Callaway County10,0792,44312,52280.5%
Warren County9,5402,17211,71281.5%
Webster County9,6991,89911,59883.6%
Phelps County9,2022,24011,44280.4%
Stone County9,2951,84311,13883.5%
Howell County9,3461,71911,06584.5%
Pettis County8,9262,04410,97081.4%
Lawrence County9,0301,73010,76083.9%
Butler County8,7391,67710,41683.9%
Scott County8,5011,74110,24283.0%
Lafayette County8,2001,87710,07781.4%
Laclede County8,4111,5459,95684.5%
Pulaski County7,8481,7699,61781.6%
Barry County7,8901,5189,40883.9%
Polk County7,7641,5309,29483.5%
Stoddard County6,8241,1217,94585.9%
Marion County6,2991,3827,68182.0%
Miller County6,4401,1737,61384.6%
Ray County5,4781,2586,73681.3%
Texas County5,7559806,73585.4%
Clinton County5,3011,2266,52781.2%
Randolph County5,2511,1606,41181.9%
Henry County5,1741,1396,31382.0%
Crawford County5,2381,0276,26583.6%
Benton County5,1431,0516,19483.0%
Adair County4,8671,2956,16279.0%
Audrain County4,9391,1466,08581.2%
Washington County4,9759375,91284.2%
Dunklin County4,8999665,86583.5%
Andrew County4,7161,0465,76281.8%
Nodaway County4,6321,1205,75280.5%
Perry County4,8079275,73483.8%
Ste. Genevieve County4,5561,0865,64280.8%
Morgan County4,6749455,61983.2%
Saline County4,3971,0985,49580.0%
McDonald County4,6428295,47184.8%
Wright County4,5577225,27986.3%
Vernon County4,3238775,20083.1%
Cooper County4,1809895,16980.9%
Dallas County4,1217824,90384.1%
Bates County4,0568014,85783.5%
Gasconade County3,8667774,64383.3%
Osage County3,9326534,58585.8%
Macon County3,8167564,57283.5%
Pike County3,7657804,54582.8%
Douglas County3,6756234,29885.5%
Moniteau County3,5576904,24783.8%
Cedar County3,5736294,20285.0%
Dent County3,5276144,14185.2%
Livingston County3,3106863,99682.8%
New Madrid County3,2607123,97282.1%
Bollinger County3,1265043,63086.1%
Barton County3,0255123,53785.5%
Montgomery County2,9035843,48783.3%
Ripley County2,9254873,41285.7%
Wayne County2,9154903,40585.6%
Ralls County2,7865683,35483.1%
Madison County2,8045303,33484.1%
Linn County2,7295683,29782.8%
Pemiscot County2,5185783,09681.3%
Hickory County2,4664912,95783.4%
Howard County2,3605662,92680.7%
St. Clair County2,4064812,88783.3%
DeKalb County2,3514572,80883.7%
Maries County2,3734312,80484.6%
Ozark County2,3554122,76785.1%
Caldwell County2,2934542,74783.5%
Oregon County2,2874062,69384.9%
Carroll County2,2234232,64684.0%
Lewis County2,1874402,62783.3%
Iron County2,1934282,62183.7%
Mississippi County2,1514682,61982.1%
Grundy County2,1384112,54983.9%
Monroe County2,1144272,54183.2%
Dade County2,0603772,43784.5%
Chariton County1,9724162,38882.6%
Shannon County1,9883582,34684.7%
Daviess County1,9123692,28183.8%
Harrison County1,9133262,23985.4%
Clark County1,6093181,92783.5%
Gentry County1,6103171,92783.5%
Shelby County1,6103021,91284.2%
Reynolds County1,5062711,77784.7%
Carter County1,4442371,68185.9%
Atchison County1,3122641,57683.2%
Sullivan County1,2102251,43584.3%
Putnam County1,1842071,39185.1%
Holt County1,1682081,37684.9%
Schuyler County9501801,13084.1%
Scotland County9271831,11083.5%
Mercer County9051511,05685.7%
Knox County8851681,05384.0%
Worth County54110364484.0%

Projected 2026 votes: each county's expected turnout, less the roughly 6 percent of voters who skip a ballot question, times its forecast Yes share. The measure needs 50.0 percent Yes to pass.

Polls of the measure

no polls
PollsterSampleEndedYesNoUndecidedYes, adjusted
No public polls of this measure. The forecast rests on how comparable measures have run and how it reached the ballot.
How this is built
Amendment 8 is forecast as a criminal justice measure whose Yes vote leans Republican. Comparable measures from 2018 to 2024 set how far its Yes share moves with Missouri's partisanship and with each county's 2024 presidential vote, and how it reached the ballot moves it further. Polls then pull the forecast toward them by recency and size, after splitting undecided voters two to one for No. Sources: sos.mo.gov, kcur.org. All measures.