Incumbent Republican Gov. Mike Parson won reelection as governor of Missouri over Democratic challenger Nicole Galloway by roughly 16 percentage points as of Wednesday morning with greater than 98% of votes counted.

Third-party candidates, Libertarian Rik Combs and Green Party candidate Jerome Bauer pulled in just over 2% of the votes combined.

Voters passed a constitutional amendment creating a lobbyist gift ban, reducing campaign contribution limits, and repealing redistricting.

The measure amends Article III of the Constitution to prohibit all gifts from lobbyists or lobbyist principals to members of the General Assembly, staff members, and anyone employed by the General Assembly.

The amendment also reduces contribution limits made to or accepted by any candidate or committee for state senator from $2,500 to $2,400 per election.

There is no change for candidates for state representative.

The amendment also modifies the criteria for redrawing legislative districts and changes the process for redrawing state legislative district boundaries during redistricting.

The change happens by repealing the post of nonpartisan state demographer and giving all redistricting responsibility to a bipartisan commission, renaming them as the House Independent Bipartisan Citizens Commission and the Senate Independent Bipartisan Citizens Commission, respectively.

Additionally, the amendment increases membership on the commissions to 20 by adding four commissioners appointed by the Governor from nominations by the two major political party’s state committees.

As of Wednesday morning, with 98% of votes counted, these constitutional amendments had narrowly passed by 2% and are effective immediately.

Missouri voters defeated a constitutional amendment that would have extended term limits currently applicable to the governor and treasurer to all statewide elected officials.

The failure of the amendment does not affect the term limits currently applicable to the governor and treasurer under Article IV, Section 17 of the Constitution.

Namely, that no person shall be elected governor or treasurer more than twice, and no person who has held the office of governor or treasurer, or acted as governor or treasurer, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected to the office of governor or treasurer shall be elected to the office of governor or treasurer more than once.

The amendment needed to receive a majority of votes to pass and as of Wednesday morning was defeated by only 4% with 98% of the votes counted.

Gov. Mike Parson announced a special session of the General Assembly.

The session begins November 5 to focus on getting federal CARES Act funding distributed to the state.

This session is the second special session Parson has called this year.

The session does not affect lobbyist reporting.

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri granted a preliminary injunction enjoining the Missouri Ethics Commission from enforcing the 60-day formation deadline for continuing committees and PACs, including out-of-state and federal committees.

The court found the requirement for committees to file a statement of organization no later than 60 days before an election for which the committee receives contributions to likely be unconstitutional.

In granting the injunction, the court relied upon the decision of the Eighth Circuit in Missourians for Fiscal Accountability v. Klahr, which found Missouri’s 30-day formation deadline for campaign committees unconstitutional.

Gov. Mike Parson approved Missouri House Bill 1386, modifying the definition of legislative lobbyist for purposes of lobbying laws to exclude legislative liaisons.

Legislative liaison is defined as any state employee hired to communicate with members of the General Assembly on behalf of any elected official of the state, the judicial branch of state government, or any department, agency, board, or commission of the state, provided such entity is a part of the executive branch of state government.

Any state employee employed as a legislative liaison who performs lobbying services for any other entity must register as a lobbyist with respect to such lobbying services.

The law becomes effective August 28, 2020.

Gov. Mike Parson announced a Special Session of the General Assembly beginning July 27 to focus on addressing violent crime in Missouri.

The escalating violence has become especially deadly in St. Louis and Kansas City, and both cities have tried various measures to stem the violence.

A new Kansas City program announced by the White House last week, Operation Legend, will bring in more than 100 agents from the FBI and other agencies to battle violent crime.

Parson said stopping this trend is more than just a big city problem, “It is a Missouri problem and we cannot wait until next session to address it.”

Other states are considering police reforms in the wake of protests.

Parson indicated Missouri lawmakers will focus only on measures that could strengthen laws and put more people behind bars.

He wants lawmakers to focus on six issues: juvenile certification, witness statement admissibility, witness protection funds, the unlawful transfer of weapons, and laws against endangering the welfare of a child.

The Second Regular Session of the 100th General Assembly adjourned sine die, officially ending the session, on May 27.

Before adjourning lawmakers sent House Bill 1386 to the governor, modifying the definition of legislative lobbyist for purposes of lobbying laws.

The definition will exclude legislative liaisons, defined as any state employee hired to communicate with members of the General Assembly on behalf of any elected official of the state, the judicial branch of state government, or any department, agency, board, or commission of the state, provided such entity is a part of the executive branch of state government.

The Legislature also passed Senate Joint Resolution 0038, placing a constitutional amendment on the statewide ballot enacting a lobbyist gift ban.

Additionally it will reduce contribution limits made to or accepted by any candidate or committee from $2,500 to $2,000.

And finally it will repeal a redistricting plan enacted by voters in 2018.

The veto session is scheduled for September 16.

The special election to fill two vacancies on the Board of Aldermen, originally scheduled for May 19, has been postponed to June 23 by a state appeals court panel.

Mayor Lyda Krewson had requested the Board of Elections postpone the special election in wards 4 and 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The board had to go to court to reschedule as, under city charter requirements, May 19 was the latest possible date for voting in Ward 4.

Additionally May 26 the latest date allowed in Ward 12.

St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson has requested the Board of Elections postpone the special elections currently scheduled for May 19.

The elections are to fill two vacancies on the Board of Aldermen.

The death of Ward 4 Alderman Sam Moore on February 25, and the resignation of Ward 12 Alderman Larry Arnowitz on March 3 caused, the two vacancies.

The Senate confirmed the appointment of Robert C. Cook of Ashland to the Missouri Ethics Commission.

Confirmation happened on April 8, ending three weeks of limbo.

The commission had been unable to meet or take any action after the terms of three of its six members expired on March 15 because commissioners cannot serve once their terms expire.

Gov. Mike Parson issued Executive Order 20-03, postponing the April 7 municipal elections to June 2.

The order comes after the state of emergency he declared on March 13 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot is May 20, while in-person absentee ballots may be cast until 5 p.m. on June 1.

Senate Majority Leader of Missouri Caleb Rowden announced, due to concerns over spreading the COVID-19 illness, the Senate will not meet next week.

The legislative spring break was set to begin on March 19, meaning the Senate is not scheduled to reconvene for the rest of the month.

The House will meet next week to work on the budget.

The Missouri Ethics Commission increased contribution limits for state House and Senate candidates.

The per election limits have increased from $2,000 to $2,046 for House candidates and from $2,500 to $2,559 for Senate candidates.

The inflationary adjustments are the first under a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2018.

The $5 lobbyist gift limit for members of the General Assembly remains unchanged.

There are several bills pending in the House and Senate that would lower contribution limits.