Who
registers to vote? State Election Information Register
to Vote in Missouri
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Federal Election Information National Mail Voter Registration Form
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Citizens living in Missouri must register in order to vote. Any U.S. citizen 17 years and 6 months of age or older, if a Missouri resident, may register and vote except:
How and where do Missourians register? Qualified citizens may
register in person at the office of their local election authority,
by mail, at the driver's license office or at participating state
agencies. Registration in person is accomplished by filling out
registration forms with information on identity, residence and qualifications
that are signed and sworn to, then witnessed by the election authority
or a designee. (§ 115.155, RSMo Supp. 1997) Qualified citizens may also print a Voter registration form by clicking here. Online registration is also available by clicking here. The deadline for registration is the fourth Wednesday prior to an election. (§ 115.135, RSMo) New Missouri residents may register immediately. In addition to certain special and emergency dates, there are official election dates in Missouri:
Additional election dates are authorized by law in specified instances. School districts may hold elections on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June and in nonprimary years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in August. Municipalities may hold elections in nonprimary years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in August. (§ 115.123.2, RSMo Supp. 1997). Water districts may hold elections in June (§ 247.180, RSMo Supp. 1996) Who conducts registration and elections? Voter registration and the conduct of elections are the responsibilities of boards of election commissioners in the counties of Clay, Jackson, Platte and St. Louis and in the cities of Kansas City and St. Louis. The county clerk serves as the election authority in all other counties of the state. Handicapped voters and persons prevented from voting because of absence or illness may vote absentee. Persons with permanent disabilities may request a permanent absentee ballot application by completing an application available from the local election authority. (§ 115.284, RSMo Supp. 1997) Curbside voting is permitted in Missouri, or voters may be transferred to more accessible precincts. Local election officials should be contacted about absentee federal service balloting or "new resident" ballots for residents who arrive after the registration deadline. (§ 115.275, RSMo Supp. 1997). Elections and Political Parties Missourians do not register their party affiliation. At primary elections voters may choose which "established party" ballot they wish to vote. Party nominees and independent candidates are then listed on the general election ballot. There are presently three "established political parties" statewide: Democratic, Republican and Libertarian. Qualified persons may seek a party's nomination for any elective office at the county, district or state level. New parties are formed by petition and may exist on the county, distric or state level. To become an "established" political party at any level, one of the party's candidates must receive more than two percent of the votes cast in an election at that level. At the time of primary elections, voters select county committee members of established parties in Missouri. Committee people have certain duties and responsibilities. They serve, as appropriate, as members of legislative, senatorial, judicial, and congressional district committees. County, district, or state committee members may be called on to fill candidate vacancies on party ballots or to select nominees for special elections. The state committees are selected, indirectly, by local committee persons. The state committees become especially important when delegates to presidential nominating (national) conventions are being selected. This information was obtained from the Office of the State Secretary's website at http://www.sos.mo.gov/ You may contact the Office of the State Secretary
at (573) 751-4936 [ SOS Information ] SOSmain@sos.mo.gov
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