Column by James Toy, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs
Every homeowner remembers the moment they received the keys to their first home.
For some, it represented years of hard work and sacrifice. For others, it meant stability for their family, an opportunity to build wealth or the chance to invest in a community and put down roots. Homeownership remains one of the most powerful pathways to financial security and economic opportunity available to American families.
That is why the Kansas City Regional Association of REALTORS® is deeply concerned about Amendments 4 and 5, two constitutional amendments that Missouri voters will decide on August 4, 2026. Although these measures address different issues, both have the potential to impact the rights of property owners, the affordability of homeownership and the ability of citizens to protect their interests through the democratic process.
We believe public policy should expand opportunity, protect taxpayers and strengthen the ability of families to achieve the American dream. We do not believe Amendments 4 and 5 accomplish those goals.
Amendment 4: Making Citizen-Led Protections More Difficult
For more than a century, Missourians have been able to address important issues through the initiative petition process, allowing citizens to propose constitutional amendments and place them directly before voters. Under current law, those measures are decided by a statewide majority vote.
Amendment 4 would change that system by requiring citizen-led constitutional amendments to receive majority support not only statewide, but also in every congressional district. In practical terms, a proposal supported by a majority of Missouri voters could still fail under this new standard.
Supporters characterize the amendment as election reform. From our perspective, it represents a significant shift in the balance of power away from citizens and toward government.
This matters because some of Missouri’s most important protections for property owners have come directly from the ballot box. Missouri voters approved a constitutional ban on real estate transfer taxes in 2010, protecting homeowners from additional taxes at the time of sale. That protection exists today because citizens had a meaningful pathway to act.
The concern is not about the issues of yesterday. It is about the issues of tomorrow.
If future generations face threats to private property rights, taxpayer protections or housing affordability, should citizens have the ability to respond through an accessible democratic process? Or should the barriers to citizen action become even higher?
The Kansas City Regional Association of REALTORS® believes homeowners, taxpayers and property owners should not be asked to surrender a right they have successfully exercised for generations. Amendment 4 would make it more difficult for citizens to protect the very interests that matter most to them.
Amendment 5: Increasing Costs When Families Can Least Afford It
Amendment 5 raises a different but equally important concern.
While it is promoted as a measure relating to Missouri’s income tax structure, the proposal would also create a framework allowing the expansion of sales taxes to a broad range of services. Those services could include real estate commissions, legal services, accounting services, home repairs and numerous other services commonly used by homeowners and property owners.
For REALTORS®, the implications are straightforward. Every additional cost associated with buying, selling or maintaining a home ultimately affects consumers.
The impact of Amendment 5 would not be measured in policy papers. It would be felt at kitchen tables across Missouri. It would be felt by the young couple trying to save enough money for a down payment. It would be felt by the growing family hoping to move into a larger home. It would be felt by the retiree preparing to sell a home that represents decades of hard work and investment. It would be felt by homeowners facing the rising costs of maintenance, repairs, insurance and property taxes.
At a time when housing affordability is already a challenge for many families, Missouri should be looking for ways to reduce costs and expand access to homeownership—not create new uncertainty surrounding the taxation of services tied to buying, selling and owning property.
Amendment 5 also raises concerns because it could override taxpayer protections previously approved by Missouri voters, including protections related to taxation of services and real estate transfer taxes.
What’s Really at Stake
The Kansas City Regional Association of REALTORS® does not engage in constitutional debates lightly. We do so because the decisions voters make this August will affect far more than public policy. They will affect the people of Missouri.
Every day, REALTORS® work with people striving to achieve goals that are deeply personal: purchasing a first home, building financial security, creating stability for their children, investing in a business or preparing for retirement. We see firsthand how difficult those goals become when affordability declines and new obstacles are placed in the path of homeownership.
That is why our opposition to Amendments 4 and 5 is not political. It is practical.
Amendment 4 would make it harder for citizens to utilize the initiative petition process to protect homeowners, taxpayers and private property rights when future challenges arise. Amendment 5 creates the potential for higher costs associated with buying, selling and owning property at a time when affordability is already under pressure.
Ultimately, the decision before Missouri voters is not simply about Amendment 4 or Amendment 5. It is about whether future generations will enjoy the same opportunities that previous generations worked so hard to achieve. It is about whether young families will find homeownership within reach or increasingly out of reach. It is about whether property owners will retain meaningful tools to protect their rights when those rights are challenged. And it is about whether Missouri continues to embrace the principles that have helped families build wealth, strengthen communities and achieve economic security through property ownership.
The American dream is not self-sustaining. Every generation has a responsibility to protect it.
On August 4, 2026, Missouri voters will have an opportunity to make their voices heard.
For the sake of homeowners, future homebuyers, taxpayers and property owners across Missouri, the Kansas City Regional Association of REALTORS® urges voters to reject Amendment 4 and Amendment 5.
Because strong communities are built through homeownership. Economic opportunity is created through property ownership. And the rights that protect both are too important to weaken.
Vote NO on Amendment 4. Vote NO on Amendment 5.
We encourage Missouri voters to learn more about these measures by visiting:
Protect MOjority Rule: https://protectmojorityrule.com/
Protect MO Taxpayers: https://protectmotaxpayers.com/
If you’re interested in displaying a “vote no” sign in your yard, you can pick one up at the KCRAR Leawood or Northland office.
