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.
Chance to pass
>99%2,000 simulations
Forecast Yes
75.9%80% range 65 to 84
Needs
50%a simple majority
Polling average
NoneNo 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.
No +30Yes +30Click a county to zoom · arrow keys step through counties by size
Where the margin is won
Yes +956,228 net votes from 115 countiesStatewide Yes +53.6, a 956,228 vote marginNo +0 net votes from 0 counties
Projected vote
1,783,934 votes on the question| Choice | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 1,370,081 | 76.8% |
| No | 413,853 | 23.2% |
| Total | 1,783,934 | 100% |
| County | Yes | No | Total | Yes share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis County | 214,377 | 91,972 | 306,349 | 70.0% |
| Jackson County | 142,685 | 48,731 | 191,416 | 74.5% |
| St. Charles County | 102,584 | 31,528 | 134,112 | 76.5% |
| Greene County | 65,607 | 19,519 | 85,126 | 77.1% |
| Clay County | 57,562 | 19,419 | 76,981 | 74.8% |
| St. Louis County | 45,253 | 30,143 | 75,396 | 60.0% |
| Jefferson County | 55,154 | 14,249 | 69,403 | 79.5% |
| Boone County | 39,945 | 15,284 | 55,229 | 72.3% |
| Cass County | 27,405 | 7,390 | 34,795 | 78.8% |
| Platte County | 25,704 | 8,850 | 34,554 | 74.4% |
| Franklin County | 26,128 | 6,175 | 32,303 | 80.9% |
| Jasper County | 25,520 | 5,969 | 31,489 | 81.0% |
| Christian County | 24,523 | 5,413 | 29,936 | 81.9% |
| Cape Girardeau County | 19,401 | 4,555 | 23,956 | 81.0% |
| Cole County | 18,847 | 4,973 | 23,820 | 79.1% |
| Buchanan County | 16,290 | 4,554 | 20,844 | 78.2% |
| Lincoln County | 15,456 | 3,271 | 18,727 | 82.5% |
| Newton County | 14,188 | 2,905 | 17,093 | 83.0% |
| St. Francois County | 13,570 | 3,025 | 16,595 | 81.8% |
| Taney County | 13,089 | 2,659 | 15,748 | 83.1% |
| Camden County | 12,223 | 2,639 | 14,862 | 82.2% |
| Johnson County | 11,211 | 2,818 | 14,029 | 79.9% |
| Callaway County | 10,080 | 2,442 | 12,522 | 80.5% |
| Warren County | 9,540 | 2,171 | 11,711 | 81.5% |
| Webster County | 9,700 | 1,898 | 11,598 | 83.6% |
| Phelps County | 9,203 | 2,239 | 11,442 | 80.4% |
| Stone County | 9,295 | 1,842 | 11,137 | 83.5% |
| Howell County | 9,347 | 1,718 | 11,065 | 84.5% |
| Pettis County | 8,927 | 2,044 | 10,971 | 81.4% |
| Lawrence County | 9,031 | 1,730 | 10,761 | 83.9% |
| Butler County | 8,740 | 1,676 | 10,416 | 83.9% |
| Scott County | 8,502 | 1,740 | 10,242 | 83.0% |
| Lafayette County | 8,201 | 1,876 | 10,077 | 81.4% |
| Laclede County | 8,411 | 1,544 | 9,955 | 84.5% |
| Pulaski County | 7,848 | 1,769 | 9,617 | 81.6% |
| Barry County | 7,890 | 1,517 | 9,407 | 83.9% |
| Polk County | 7,764 | 1,530 | 9,294 | 83.5% |
| Stoddard County | 6,824 | 1,121 | 7,945 | 85.9% |
| Marion County | 6,300 | 1,381 | 7,681 | 82.0% |
| Miller County | 6,440 | 1,173 | 7,613 | 84.6% |
| Ray County | 5,478 | 1,257 | 6,735 | 81.3% |
| Texas County | 5,755 | 980 | 6,735 | 85.4% |
| Clinton County | 5,302 | 1,226 | 6,528 | 81.2% |
| Randolph County | 5,251 | 1,159 | 6,410 | 81.9% |
| Henry County | 5,175 | 1,138 | 6,313 | 82.0% |
| Crawford County | 5,238 | 1,027 | 6,265 | 83.6% |
| Benton County | 5,143 | 1,050 | 6,193 | 83.0% |
| Adair County | 4,868 | 1,295 | 6,163 | 79.0% |
| Audrain County | 4,939 | 1,145 | 6,084 | 81.2% |
| Washington County | 4,975 | 937 | 5,912 | 84.2% |
| Dunklin County | 4,900 | 966 | 5,866 | 83.5% |
| Andrew County | 4,717 | 1,046 | 5,763 | 81.8% |
| Nodaway County | 4,633 | 1,119 | 5,752 | 80.5% |
| Perry County | 4,807 | 927 | 5,734 | 83.8% |
| Ste. Genevieve County | 4,557 | 1,086 | 5,643 | 80.8% |
| Morgan County | 4,674 | 945 | 5,619 | 83.2% |
| Saline County | 4,398 | 1,097 | 5,495 | 80.0% |
| McDonald County | 4,642 | 828 | 5,470 | 84.9% |
| Wright County | 4,557 | 722 | 5,279 | 86.3% |
| Vernon County | 4,323 | 876 | 5,199 | 83.2% |
| Cooper County | 4,180 | 989 | 5,169 | 80.9% |
| Dallas County | 4,122 | 781 | 4,903 | 84.1% |
| Bates County | 4,057 | 800 | 4,857 | 83.5% |
| Gasconade County | 3,867 | 777 | 4,644 | 83.3% |
| Osage County | 3,932 | 653 | 4,585 | 85.8% |
| Macon County | 3,817 | 755 | 4,572 | 83.5% |
| Pike County | 3,765 | 780 | 4,545 | 82.8% |
| Douglas County | 3,676 | 623 | 4,299 | 85.5% |
| Moniteau County | 3,557 | 690 | 4,247 | 83.8% |
| Cedar County | 3,574 | 628 | 4,202 | 85.1% |
| Dent County | 3,528 | 614 | 4,142 | 85.2% |
| Livingston County | 3,310 | 686 | 3,996 | 82.8% |
| New Madrid County | 3,260 | 711 | 3,971 | 82.1% |
| Bollinger County | 3,126 | 504 | 3,630 | 86.1% |
| Barton County | 3,025 | 512 | 3,537 | 85.5% |
| Montgomery County | 2,903 | 584 | 3,487 | 83.3% |
| Ripley County | 2,925 | 487 | 3,412 | 85.7% |
| Wayne County | 2,915 | 489 | 3,404 | 85.6% |
| Ralls County | 2,787 | 567 | 3,354 | 83.1% |
| Madison County | 2,805 | 529 | 3,334 | 84.1% |
| Linn County | 2,729 | 568 | 3,297 | 82.8% |
| Pemiscot County | 2,519 | 578 | 3,097 | 81.3% |
| Hickory County | 2,467 | 491 | 2,958 | 83.4% |
| Howard County | 2,360 | 566 | 2,926 | 80.7% |
| St. Clair County | 2,406 | 481 | 2,887 | 83.3% |
| DeKalb County | 2,351 | 456 | 2,807 | 83.8% |
| Maries County | 2,373 | 431 | 2,804 | 84.6% |
| Ozark County | 2,355 | 412 | 2,767 | 85.1% |
| Caldwell County | 2,293 | 454 | 2,747 | 83.5% |
| Oregon County | 2,287 | 406 | 2,693 | 84.9% |
| Carroll County | 2,223 | 423 | 2,646 | 84.0% |
| Lewis County | 2,187 | 440 | 2,627 | 83.3% |
| Iron County | 2,193 | 427 | 2,620 | 83.7% |
| Mississippi County | 2,151 | 468 | 2,619 | 82.1% |
| Grundy County | 2,138 | 411 | 2,549 | 83.9% |
| Monroe County | 2,114 | 427 | 2,541 | 83.2% |
| Dade County | 2,060 | 377 | 2,437 | 84.5% |
| Chariton County | 1,972 | 416 | 2,388 | 82.6% |
| Shannon County | 1,988 | 358 | 2,346 | 84.7% |
| Daviess County | 1,912 | 369 | 2,281 | 83.8% |
| Harrison County | 1,913 | 326 | 2,239 | 85.4% |
| Clark County | 1,609 | 318 | 1,927 | 83.5% |
| Gentry County | 1,610 | 317 | 1,927 | 83.5% |
| Shelby County | 1,611 | 301 | 1,912 | 84.3% |
| Reynolds County | 1,506 | 271 | 1,777 | 84.7% |
| Carter County | 1,444 | 236 | 1,680 | 86.0% |
| Atchison County | 1,312 | 264 | 1,576 | 83.2% |
| Sullivan County | 1,210 | 225 | 1,435 | 84.3% |
| Putnam County | 1,184 | 207 | 1,391 | 85.1% |
| Holt County | 1,168 | 208 | 1,376 | 84.9% |
| Schuyler County | 950 | 180 | 1,130 | 84.1% |
| Scotland County | 927 | 183 | 1,110 | 83.5% |
| Mercer County | 905 | 151 | 1,056 | 85.7% |
| Knox County | 885 | 168 | 1,053 | 84.0% |
| Worth County | 541 | 102 | 643 | 84.1% |
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| Pollster | Sample | Ended | Yes | No | Undecided | Yes, 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.