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Voting in MO

What is going to be on the ballot?

Medicaid Expansion: 

Missouri Amendment 2, also known as the Medicaid Expansion Initiative, is also on the ballot in August. This is a statewide ballot initiative, meaning that it will appear on every Missouri ballot in the August 4th election. If approved by voters, the amendment would:

  • Expand Medicaid eligibility in Missouri to adults whose income is 133% of the federal poverty level or below, which would effectively expand Medicaid to those with incomes at or below 138% of the federal poverty level under the Affordable Care Act. 
  • Prohibit any additional restrictions or requirements for the expanded population to qualify for Medicaid coverage than for other populations that qualify for Medicaid coverage and require the state government to seek maximum federal funding of Medicaid expansion.

Should Amendment 2 pass, roughly 350,000 Missourians will gain potentially life-saving coverage. Medicaid expansion would also entitle the state to over $15 billion in federal funding  for health services. 

Chancellor Andrew Martin, and Dean of the School of Medicine, David Perlmutter, endorsed Medicaid expansion in a statement last year.  In addition to WashU, notable supporters of the campaign for Amendment  2 include the Missouri Hospital Association, The Fairness Project, NAACP Missouri, Missouri Jobs with Justice, Missouri Nurses Association, and the Missouri Coalition for Primary Healthcare. Missouri Republicans, most notably Governor Mike Parsons, are vocally opposing the amendment. It was Parsons who decided to move the amendment from the November 3rd general election to the lower profile August primaries. Missouri Democrats, like candidate for governor Nicole Galloway, accuse the governor of making the move in the hopes that the amendment will fail in what is expected to be a low-turnout election. Parsons argues that the change in date will give the state more time to implement Medicaid expansion if voters approve it at the polls. The partisan nature of the amendment will make it a deeply contested race.  

Democratic Primary for Missouri’s First Congressional District: 

Voters in Missouri’s 1st Congressional district, which includes most of University City and Clayton, will have the opportunity to vote in a competitive primary election between incumbent Congressman Lacy Clay and progressive challenger Cori Bush. This race is a rerun of a 2018 contest, which Clay won with 56.7% of the vote. Clay has served for nearly two decades in a position he inherited from his father, St. Louis political and civil rights icon Bill Clay, and the weight of the Clay name alone makes him a formidable incumbent.  For Bush, a nurse, pastor, and an organizer in the Ferguson protest movement, convincing voters to take a chance on a political outsider will be a monumental challenge.

This race reflects the larger schism within the Democratic Party between progressive outsiders and the party establishment. Clay is a ten-term incumbent whose pitch to voters centers on his ability to secure federal funds for the district and his proximity to Democratic leadership. Bush is a complete political outsider whose campaign is animated by her rejection of corporate donations and support for popular policies like Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and ending cash bail. This time around, Bush’s campaign is betting that improved name recognition (the 2019 Netflix documentary “Knock Down the House” covers Bush’s last run for office alongside that of now-Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez) and the momentum from recent grassroots protest movements will translate into votes for change. The race between Clay and Bush is expected to be very competitive. 

There will also be a number of other down-ballot elections for state and local government offices. We will strive to make more information on them available as we receive it.

How to Register to Vote

Eligibility

In Missouri, you are eligible to vote if you (1) are a U.S. citizen, (2) are a resident of Missouri, and (3) are at least 18 years old by Election Day. 

You are ineligible to vote if (1) you are in prison, detention, jail, or a penal institution, (2) you are on parole for a felony conviction or convicted of a felony, (3) you were convicted of a felony or misdemeanor connected with voting. 

Registering

You can register to vote or update your voter registration information three ways:

  1. Online here
  2. By mail here
  3. In person at your elections office

In St. Louis City, the Board of Election Commissioners is located at 300 N Tucker Blvd. and is open Monday-Friday 8am to 5pm.

A resident in the city of St. Louis may also register at:

  • Department of Revenue, Division of Motor Vehicles 
  • Health and Social Services Offices
  • Any Public library
  • Schools or other tax-supported public agencies that have a Deputy Registrar on site

To register via mail or in person, you are required to present a form of personal ID. Accepted forms of ID are:

  • ID issued by the Federal Government, state of Missouri, or a local election authority (ex. MO driver’s license, US passport, etc)
  • ID issued by a Missouri institution (public or private) of higher education, such as a university, college, vocational and technical schools
  • A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check or other government document that contains your name and address
  • Driver’s license or state ID card issued by another state

If you do not have any of these, you are still able to cast a ballot if two supervising election judges, one from each major political party, attest they know you.

Already registered?

If you are already registered to vote, you can click here, or call (314) 622-4336 Monday- Friday, to check your voter registration information.

You can also check your registration by going to the Inactive Voter Database for the city of St. Louis. If you find yourself listed, make sure you re-register to vote.

Voting in Person 

In Missouri, you do NOT need a photo ID to vote. 

You do need one of these acceptable forms of ID to vote in person, which include:

  • ID issued by the state of MO, an agency of the state, or a local election authority
  • ID issued by the US Government
  • ID issued by an institution of higher education, including a university, college, vocational and technical school, located in MO
  • A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check or other government document that has your name and address on it

Provisional Voting

If, for some reason, your name does not appear in the poll book but you are eligible to vote at that precinct, you are entitled to a provisional ballot. Provisional ballots are counted two weeks after the election.

If you find yourself in this situation, every effort should be made to determine your eligibility so that you can cast a regular ballot, rather than a provisional one.

On Election Day

Before the Primary Election on August 4th and the General Election on November 3rd, make sure you check to find your polling place here. 

Polling places in Missouri are all open from 6am to 7pm on Election Day.

Voting Absentee

You are eligible to vote absentee if one of the following applies to you:

  • Your absent on Election Day from the jurisdiction in which you are registered to vote
  • You are incapacitated or confined due to illness or physical disability, or a person who is primarily responsible for the physical care of a person who is incapacitated or confined due to illness or disability
  • You have religious beliefs or practices which prevent you from voting on Election day
  • You are employed as an election authority, as a member of an election authority, or by an election authority at a location other than your polling place
  • You are incarcerated, provided all qualifications for voting are retained
  • For an election that occurs during the year 2020, the voter has contracted or is in an at-risk category for contracting or transmitting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (COVID-19)

How to Apply for an Absentee Ballot

To vote absentee for the primary election, your request for an absentee ballot must be received by Wednesday, Juy. 22nd 2020 at 5pm.

When applying, make sure you know (1) your phone number, (2) the last four-digits of your SSN, and (3) your current address and address. 

To fill out an absentee ballot request form digitally, click here.

  • Verify your email by checking and clicking through the email HelloSign will send you
  • Sign your name, don’t just type it
  • Follow the form’s instructions and your completed form will be emailed to you

Alternatively, you can click here to print out the form, fill it out by hand, and then mail it in or scan it to be faxed or emailed.

Once you have your completed form, it should be emailed, mailed, or faxed to your local election authority.

St. Louis City:

  • Email: stlcityabsentee@stlouis-mo.gov
  • Mail: 300 N. Tucker Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63101
  • Fax: (314)-622-3587

St. Louis County:

  • Email: BOECabsentee@stlouisco.com
  • Mail: 725 Northwest Plaza Dr. St. Ann, MO 63074
  • Fax: (314)-615-1999

Soon after submitting your request for an absentee ballot, you should receive it in the mail.

Filling out your Absentee Ballot

In order to complete and send in an absentee ballot, you must have it signed by a notary. A notary is someone who is authorized to perform acts in legal affairs, in particular witnessing signatures on documents.

Click here or here to find a notary near you, and click here to learn about how you can become a notary.

Many banks and credit unions have notaries on staff who should be able to notarize your ballot for free. Because many businesses currently have limited staff due to COVID-19, it is best to call to make sure a notary is available before making a trip.

Once you have filled out your absentee ballot and have had it notarized, make sure you return it before Tuesday, August 4th at 7pm for the primary election, and Tuesday, November 3rd at 7pm for the general election. 

What to do if you don’t receive your absentee ballot

Mail-In Ballots

On June 4th, 2020 Gov. Parson signed a bill that authorizes mail-in ballots for both the August 4th primary and the November 3rd general election to avoid the risk of contracting or transmitting COVID-19. The only difference between an absentee ballot and a mail-in ballot is that mail-in ballots have a later request deadline.

If you are a registered MO voter, you can request a mail-in ballot from your local election authority by clicking here, or by filling out this form and mailing it in.

If you choose to mail in your request form, please make sure that it is addressed to your local election authority, not the secretary of state’s office. Make sure to read all of the italicized print at the bottom of the form as it provides important information about ID that may need to be sent along with your request form.

Requests for mail-in ballots must be received no later than July 22nd at 5pm for the primary election, and no later than October 21st at 5pm for the general election.

Just like absentee ballots, mail-in ballots must be notarized. Click here or here to find a notary near you.

In order to be counted, mail-in ballots must be received by the election authority at or before 7pm on Election Day.

Upcoming Election Dates & Deadlines

MO State Primary August 4th, 2020 deadlines

  • New Voter Registration: Postmarked by Wed. Jul. 8th, 2020
  • Absentee Ballot Request: Received by Wed. Jul. 22nd 2020, 5pm
  • Absentee Ballot Return: Tues. Aug. 4th 2020, 7pm
  • In-Person Absentee Voting: In Election Office by Mon. Aug. 3rd 2020, 5pm
  • Early voting: none on record

MO General Election November 3rd, 2020 deadlines

  • New Voter Registration: Postmarked by Wed. Oct. 7th 2020
  • Absentee Ballot Request: Received by Wed. Oct 21st 2020 by 5pm
  • Absentee Ballot Return: Tues. Nov. 3rd 2020 7pm
  • In-Person Absentee: Voting In the Election Office by Mon. Nov. 2nd 2020 by 5pm
  • Early Voting: None on record

If you know that you will need either an absentee or a mail-in ballot, we encourage you to apply for either as soon as possible. It is likely that our voting infrastructure will be under more pressure than usual to accommodate the surge in absentee and mail-in ballots due to COVID-19. 

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