JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri voters expanded the Republican veto-proof majorities in the state’s House and Senate last week.

In the House, Republicans picked up eight additional seats, giving them a majority 117 seats when the General Assembly convenes in January — eight votes more than the two-thirds vote of 109 required to override a governor’s veto. The Democratic side in the House will shrink to 46.

In the Senate, Republicans gained an additional vote — giving them a 25-9 majority. A two-thirds veto override vote requires 23 votes in the Senate.

The only GOP Senate seat lost Tuesday was a normally solid Republican district in St. Louis County that had been sought by John Ashcroft — the son of John Aschcroft, former U.S. senator and U.S. attorney general. But Republicans picked up Senate seats in central Missouri and in Gov. Jay Nixon’s county of Jefferson south of St. Louis — traditionally a Democratic county.

In addition, Missouri voters handed Nixon a defeat on a ballot issue, passing a constitutional amendment to give the Legislature power to overturn the governor’s budget withholding by a two-thirds vote. Just two months ago, Nixon blocked release of funds for spending items he vetoed but which the Legislature voted to override in September.

On other ballot issues, Missouri voters approved allowing evidence of past sex-offense charges to be used in cases against child sex offenders, rejected elimination of teacher tenure and rejected a measure to allow limited early voting in elections.

The teacher tenure measure was defeated decisively. The proposal’s organizers had dropped their efforts earlier in the year, offering little explanation for their decision except to say the timing for the issue was not right.

Republican State Auditor Tom Schweich also won a second term. Schweich faced two challengers — one Libertarian and one from the Constitution Party — but no Democratic opponent.