How to vote in Missouri

Make sure you have a plan for how you will vote in the next election.

There are four  ways to vote in Missouri: 

✔ In-person voting on Election Day;

✔ Early voting (in-person, no excuse absentee voting);

✔ In-person absentee voting;

✔ Absentee voting by mail.

✔ Options for voters with disabilities or mobility issues

Early voting (in person, no excuse absentee voting) 

Missouri voters may cast an in-person, absentee ballot without providing an excuse during the two weeks prior to Election Day.

In-person absentee voting (six weeks prior to Election Day)

Missouri voters who are not able to vote absentee during the two-week, no excuse period may still vote absentee throughout the six weeks prior to election day under the following circumstances.   

 

• Absence from your voting jurisdiction on Election Day;
• Incapacitation or confinement due to illness or physical disability, or caring for an incapacitated person;
• Religious belief or practice;
  
• Employment by an election authority, a first responder, a health care worker, or a member of law enforcement;
• Incarceration if voting qualifications are retained;
• Participation in the Missouri SAFE at home program.

 

Voters may go to their local election authority and cast their ballot starting six weeks before Election Day.  Bring approved VOTER ID for identification.  (Provisional ballots will not be available during the absentee voting period.) You will be asked to provide the reason you are unable to vote on Election Day if you are voting before the two week, no-excuse voting period. In-person absentee voting ends at 5pm the day before Election Day. 

If you need information on how to cast an in-person absentee ballot in your local election jurisdiction, click here  to access the Secretary of State's website to get contact information for your local election authority.  

Absentee voting by mail  

If you will be away from where you are registered to vote on Election Day, you can also request an absentee ballot by mail. 

✔ Request an absentee ballot from your local election authority (up to 10 weeks before the election and no later than the second Wednesday prior to the election). The election authority will begin mailing ballots to voters six weeks prior to any election.

✔ Complete your ballot.

✔ Sign and notarize* your ballot when you meet with the Notary Public. 

✔ Mail your ballot. (Ballots must be received by the election board no later than 7pm on Election Day. Ballots received after the deadline will not be counted.)

* Your absentee ballot must be notarized. 

Where: Kansas City Public Library and Mid-Continent Public Library have free notary services at all locations.

Make an appointment: Ask about accepted forms of ID. State driver's and non-driver's license, U.S. Passport, and military ID are accepted at Kansas City and Mid-Continent libraries. 

Documentation: 

➡ Do not sign or date the ballot before meeting with the Notary Public.

➡ Bring the entire ballot, not just the signature page.