Voters reject Jackson County stadium measure for Kansas City Chiefs, Royals

One of the biggest ballot items in the Missouri general municipal election is the Jackson County stadium sales tax.

The voters voted no on Jackson County Question 1, according to the Kansas City Star and multiple local television stations.

Jackson County residents rejected a 3/8th-cent sales tax for Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals stadium projects as polls closed Tuesday at 7 p.m. local time. The increased sales tax would've helped fund a new downtown Kansas City ballpark for the Royals, and renovations to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium for the Chiefs.

GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, the home site of the Chiefs, is the third oldest active NFL stadium. It opened Aug. 12, 1972, and has been renovated multiple times.

Kauffman Stadium, where the Royals reside, is the sixth oldest active MLB stadium. The stadium’s first game was on April 10, 1973.

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Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were featured in an ad asking Jackson County voters to approve the measure.

“There’s no better place in a world to play than Arrowhead Stadium,” Mahomes said in the ad.

Chiefs owner Clark Hunt told USA TODAY Sports at the NFL annual league meeting that he expected the measure to pass. That came after Chiefs president Mark Donovan said the franchise’s goal is to stay in Kansas City but would consider “all options” if the measure failed. The Chiefs’ lease at Arrowhead Stadium expires in 2031.

"The people of Kansas City and Jackson County love the Chiefs and the Royals. Today, they rejected plans and processes they found inadequate," Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas said on social media. "Over the months ahead, I look forward to working with the Chiefs and Royals to build a stronger, more open, and collaborative process that will ensure the teams, their events and investments remain in Kansas City for generations to come."

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KSHB 41-TV, the NBC affiliate in Kansas City, cited polling before Tuesday from the Remington Research Group that had 47% of respondents in favor and 46% against.

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.