Voting In Missouri

To be eligible to vote in Missouri you must be:

• 18 years old by Election Day
• A U.S. citizen
• A Missouri resident and must be registered to vote in the jurisdiction of the person's domicile prior to the election
• Not confined under a sentence of imprisonment
• Not on probation or parole after the conviction of a felony
• Not convicted of a felony or misdemeanor connected with voting or the right of suffrage

You do not need to provide identification to register. However, you will be required to show ID at the polls or provide ID with your absentee ballot.

Under a new law, you must show an acceptable form of ID when going to vote. Acceptable forms of ID are as follows:

• ID issued by the state of Missouri, an agency of the state, or a local election authority of the state
• ID issued by the U.S. government or agency
• ID issued by an institution of higher education, including a university, college, vocational or technical school located within Missouri
• A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document that contains your name and address
• A driver's license or state ID card issued by another state

The Missouri DMV will issue free non-driver's licenses to those (with proper identification requirements,) who need them to vote.

In order to be registered to vote in an election, you need to be registered by 5:00 p.m., or the normal close of business of any public building where registration is allowed, whichever is later, on the fourth Wednesday prior to the election. If you register after such time, you are registered to vote in subsequent elections.

To verify your voter registration status, please contact your local board of elections.

Absentee voting begins six weeks prior to an election for registered voters. You may vote by absentee ballot if you fulfill one of the following criteria:

• You will be absent on Election Day from the jurisdiction of the election authority in which you are registered to vote
• You are incapacitated or confined due to illness or physical disability
• You are the primary caretaker for a person who is incapacitated or confined due to illness or disability
• Your religious beliefs or practice 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)

You can request absentee ballots from your local election authority in person or by fax. Faxed absentee ballot requests should be submitted to the appropriate local election authority. Relatives within the first degree (parents and children,) may complete an absentee ballot application, in person, on behalf of the voter who wishes to vote absentee. Do not send absentee ballot applications to the secretary of state's office. They must be sent to the local election authority to be valid.

Mail-in or faxed absentee ballot requests must be received by the election authority no later than the 5:00 pm on the Wednesday prior to any election. You can vote by absentee in the office of the local election authority until 5:00 pm the night before the election. If you have registered to vote by mail and are voting absentee the first time you vote, you are required to provide a copy of your ID with your absentee ballot request unless you provided a copy with your voter registration application. Examples of acceptable ID are:

• Valid Missouri driver's license
• Valid Missouri non-driver's license
• Valid U.S. passport
• Valid military ID

This identification requirement, as well as the notary requirement for absentee ballots, does not apply to overseas voters, those on active military duty or members of their immediate family living with them or voters who are permanently disabled and their caregivers.

The election authority must receive all absentee ballots by the close of polls on Election Day in order to be counted.

Overseas citizens and U.S. military personnel can register to vote and request an absentee ballot at the Oversea Vote Foundation.

Early voting is available through the absentee ballot process .

The next election will be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2009 (Wednesday, October 7, 2009: Registration Deadline). Check your state's resource for local election dates and information.

In order to be a poll worker in Missouri:

• You must be registered to vote in Missouri
• You must be at least 17 years and 6 months
• Political affiliation preferred
• You must be a resident of the jurisdiction
• You must complete required training
• You will be entitled to compensation
• Students 15-17 years old must have full time attendance in a Missouri school

To sign up, contact your local board of elections.

The polls will be open from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm.

Employers must grant employees up to three hours paid leave to vote, unless polls are open three consecutive hours before or after regular working shift. Employees must request this time prior to Election Day, and the employer may specify when during the working day employees may take time off.

You can find your polling place by utilizing VOTE411's poll locator tool. Some states and local jurisdictions provide their own poll locators. You can confirm your voting location by selecting from the following local resources: Missouri State Polling Place Locator Tool

If you have further questions on your polling place location, please contact your county clerk.

Provisional voting is one of the election reform measures provided to guarantee every qualified and registered voter has the opportunity to vote on Election Day.

If you are a first time voter who registered by mail and do not bring proper identification to the polls when you vote, you are entitled to a provisional ballot. When you arrive at the polling place on Election Day, the election judges check the poll book (a list of all of the jurisdiction's registered voters,) to confirm that you are properly registered and are at the correct polling place. If you are not, you will be entitled to a provisional ballot. Provisional ballots are distinguished from regular ballots so that the election authority can later investigate the provisional voter's registration status. Every effort will be made to determine your eligibility and your correct polling place. If it can be determined that you are at the wrong polling place, you will be directed to the correct or central polling place to cast a regular ballot.

The voting systems used in Missouri are optical scan, punch card and manual.

Optical Scan: With this system, you will receive a card or sheet of paper, which you take over to a private table or booth. The card has the names of the various candidates and ballot measures printed on it. With a pen or pencil you fill in a little box or circle or the space between two arrows. When you are finished filling out all the cards, you may bring the cards over to a ballot box, where poll workers will show you how to put the cards in the box. Or in some places, you may feed the completed cards or papers into a computer device that checks your card or paper right there at the polling place to make sure you have voted the way you want to and counts the votes.

Punchcards: With a punchcard system, when you sign in at the polling place, the poll workers will give you one or more cards. These cards are usually about 8 inches by 3 inches, with small rectangles that can be punched out. You take your cards to a small private table. You’ll see a booklet mounted on a frame. The frame will have a place for you to slide your first card in. Make sure that it’s in all the way and lined up correctly. If you’re not sure, ask one of the poll workers to make sure you’ve got it right. The table also has a little device (often a metal stylus or stick) that you use to punch holes next to the name of the person or ballot measure you want to vote for. Give it a firm punch, so it pushes out that little cardboard rectangle or chad. You may have to look at the booklet carefully so that you punch the right hole lined up with the person you want to vote for. Often there is a little arrow that helps you find the right hole. Some punchcards have the names of the candidates written right on the cards. You may need to vote on more than one card. Look it over carefully, so you put the right card in the right slot. Some punch card systems use both sides of the card, so look on the back of each card too. Check to see that all the holes are punched all the way through and there are no little pieces of cardboard (chad) hanging from your card. When you are done, pick up all your cards. There may be an envelope to put your cards in. Take your cards over to the ballot box and put the cards into the box.

Information on local, state and federal candidates and ballot measures is available here.

You may bring anyone you choose to assist you with voting if you cannot read or write, are blind or have some other physical disability and cannot vote your ballot. If you require assistance and do not bring a person to assist you, you are entitled to receive assistance from an election judge. You must request assistance, and upon your request, two election judges from different political parties will assist you. Depending on the number of judges present and voter turnout, there may be a wait for an election judge to assist you.

If you have a question regarding a specific required assistance, please contact your local election authority to determine what assistance is available at your polling place.

For information on federal campaign contributions, please visit Open Secrets.

For information on state campaign contributions, please visit your state's resource.