Blue Book, Official Manual, Secretary of State, Missouri Elections
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CHAPTER 7 Missouri Elections Portrait of a young couple, c1910 Gill Photograph Collection Missouri State Archives 640 OFFICIAL MANUAL ND DIV TA ID S E D E E PLU UM RI BU N S U W W E D F E A T I L N L U in seven working days. (RSMo 115.155) SALUS X ESTO LE P O P A U L I S UP R E M M D C C C X X When do Missourians register? Missouri An unregistered citizen may register to vote whenever local election officials’ places of busi- ness are open, by requesting an application by mail from the election authority, when renewing Voting and a Missouri driver’s license or when receiving services from a participating state agency. Special registration sites and dates may be utilized prior Elections to major elections. (RSMo 115.145, 115.151) The deadline for registration is the fourth Wednesday prior to an election. (RSMo 115.135) Who registers to vote in Missouri? Citizens of the U.S. living in Missouri must When do Missourians vote? register in order to vote. Any U.S. citizen 17 In general, the statutes require that public years and 6 months of age or older, if a Missouri elections be held on the general election day, resident, may register and vote after reaching the primary election day, the general municipal age 18 except: election day, the first Tuesday after the first Mon- • A person who is adjudged incapacitated day in February or November, or on another day • A person who is confined under sentence expressly provided by city or county charter, the of imprisonment first Tuesday after the first Monday in June and in • A person who is on probation or nonprimary years on the first Tuesday after the parole after conviction of a felony until first Monday in August. (RSMo 115.123.1) finally discharged The general election day is the first Tuesday • A person who has been convicted of a after the first Monday in November in even- felony or misdemeanor connected with numbered years. The primary election day is the the right of suffrage (RSMo 115.133, first Tuesday after the first Monday in August in 115.135) even-numbered years. (RSMo 115.121 (1 & 2)) Elections for cities, towns, villages, school How do Missourians register? boards and special district officers are held the first Tuesday after the first Monday in April each Qualified citizens may register in person at year, known as general municipal election day. the office of their local election authority, by (RSMo 115.121.3) mail, at the driver’s license fee office or at partic- ipating state agencies. Registration in person is A statewide presidential preference primary accomplished by filling out registration forms is held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday with information on identity, residence and in February of each presidential election year. qualifications which are signed and sworn to, (RSMo 115.755) then witnessed by the election authority or a Elections may be held on other Tuesdays for designee. The voter must present appropriate bond elections necessitated by fire, vandalism or identification such as a birth certificate, a Native natural disaster, where ownership of real proper- American tribal document, other proof of Unit- ty is required by law for voting and for special ed States citizenship, a valid Missouri driver’s elections to fill vacancies. (RSMo 115.123.2) license or other form of personal identification. (RSMo 115.155) Who conducts registration and Registration by mail, at the driver’s license fee office or at the participating state agencies elections? requires submission of an application stating Voter registration and the conduct of elec- qualifications. If mailed, this form must be post- tions are the responsibilities of Missouri’s 116 marked by the fourth Wednesday preceding an local election authorities (election boards and election to be eligible to vote in that election. county clerks). Boards of election commission- The voter must include a copy of appropriate ers administer elections in the counties of Clay, identification (see above). If the voter does not Jackson, Platte and St. Louis and in the cities of submit such information, the voter will be Kansas City and St. Louis. The county clerk required to vote in person for the first time and serves as the election authority in all other coun- to present additional identification upon voting ties of the state. In 2005, legislation was passed for the first time. A verification or rejection of giving Cass County the option of setting up a registration is sent by the election authority with- board of election commissioners. (RSMo MISSOURI VOTING AND ELECTIONS 641 115.015, 115.017) Elections and political parties Missourians do not register under party affil- Special voting provisions iation. Hence, at primary elections, voters may Disabled voters and persons prevented from choose which ‘’established party’’ ballot they voting because of absence or illness may vote vote (RSMo 115.397). Party nominees—and absentee. Persons with permanent disabilities independent candidates—are then listed on the may apply for permanent absentee ballot status general election ballot. by making application with the local election There are presently three ‘’established politi- authority. (RSMo 115.284) Curbside voting is cal parties’’ statewide—the Democratic, Repub- permitted in Missouri, or voters may be trans- lican and Libertarian parties. Persons may seek ferred to more accessible precincts. Local elec- the nomination of these parties for any elective tion officials should be contacted about absen- office from the county level and above. In order tee federal service balloting or ‘’new resident’’ to become “established,’’ a party must have ballots for residents who arrive after the registra- received more than two percent of the votes cast tion deadline. statewide for at least one of its candidates. New parties are formed by petition and may exist on When voting, Missourians must show an the county, district or state level. They must meet approved form of personal identification. (RSMo the same standard as any other party to remain 115.427) established. (RSMo 115.317) 1. Identification issued by the state of Mis- At the time of primary elections, voters select souri, an agency of the state, or a local election county committee members of established par- authority of the state; ties in Missouri. Those committee people, thus 2. Identification issued by the United States elected, have certain duties and responsibilities. government or agency thereof; They serve, as appropriate, as members of leg- islative, senatorial, judicial, and congressional 3. Identification issued by an institution of district committees (RSMo 115.613, 115.619). higher education, including a university, college, County, district, or state committee members vocational and technical school, located within may be called on to fill candidate vacancies on the state of Missouri; party ballots or to select nominees for special 4. A copy of a current utility bill, bank state- elections as needed. The state committees are ment, paycheck, government check or other selected, indirectly, by local committee persons. government document that contains the name and address of the voter; 5. Driver’s license or state identification card issued by another state. If you do not possess any of these forms of iden- tification, you may still cast a ballot if two super- vising election judges, one from each major political party, attest they know you. 642 OFFICIAL MANUAL Registered voters in Missouri, 2000–2006 County 2000 2002 2004 2006 County 2000 2002 2004 2006 Adair 16,333 18,467 18,262 14,744 Macon 10,719 10,261 10,721 10,581 Andrew 10,529 10,523 11,749 11,400 Madison 9,724 9,378 9,934 8,364 Atchison 5,041 4,914 4,647 4,677 Maries 6,532 6,622 6,115 6,838 Audrain 16,636 16,329 17,371 16,476 Marion 19,277 19,921 19,321 19,056 Barry 20,747 21,399 22,486 19,777 McDonald 14,405 12,933 12,888 14,725 Barton 8,580 9,204 9,993 9,022 Mercer 2,798 2,828 2,633 2,669 Bates 11,915 10,948 11,938 12,292 Miller 15,889 16,315 16,986 16,527 Benton 12,213 13,055 13,441 12,900 Mississippi 10,648 9,898 9,299 8,144 Bollinger 9,125 9,535 9,475 7,916 Moniteau 9,104 9,233 9,543 9,281 Boone 106,671 93,722 112,682 105,897 Monroe 6,410 6,291 6,455 6,275 Buchanan 54,175 54,358 58,738 52,561 Montgomery 8,448 8,031 8,363 8,129 Butler 34,188 35,318 36,863 25,779 Morgan 12,866 12,425 14,469 12,703 Caldwell 6,802 6,109 7,382 6,205 New Madrid 12,793 11,507 12,706 11,883 Callaway 24,716 23,874 27,317 28,177 Newton 37,616 39,684 40,620 38,250 Camden 26,896 28,400 28,764 27,689 Nodaway 13,710 12,899 15,360 12,714 Cape Girardeau 47,943 42,017 48,654 49,745 Oregon 6,735 6,907 7,131 6,660 Carroll 7,978 7,328 7,245 6,730 Osage 8,750 8,719 9,444 9,011 Carter 4,815 5,082 4,615 4,789 Ozark 7,670 7,078 8,472 7,817 Cass 57,502 62,000 67,464 69,129 Pemiscot 16,309 16,855 20,076 12,214 Cedar 9,728 10,266 10,270 8,491 Perry 11,458 11,975 11,534 12,016 Chariton 7,017 6,881 7,017 5,931 Pettis 25,175 25,433 27,406 27,059 Christian 37,848 48,080 49,809 53,007 Phelps 23,642 23,906 25,888 25,861 Clark 4,978 5,098 5,261 5,299 Pike 11,885 11,130 12,912 11,675 Clay 125,805 104,613 137,399 137,215 Platte 57,069 55,025 68,435 58,513 Clinton 13,589 14,741 15,790 13,663 Polk 19,231 15,108 18,393 18,142 Cole 47,898 49,463 51,284 51,285 Pulaski 19,205 20,983 21,534 18,581 Cooper 10,802 10,448 11,054 11,367 Putnam 4,129 4,044 4,220 3,858 Crawford 15,865 17,237 16,847 17,338 Ralls 7,324 7,400 8,244 7,969 Dade 5,893 6,108 6,381 5,422 Randolph 16,694 16,498 15,725 14,518 Dallas 9,551 9,864 12,562 10,438 Ray 16,171 17,022 15,528 17,896 Daviess 4,982 5,416 5,580 5,440 Reynolds 6,870 6,888 7,823 6,620 DeKalb 5,699 6,110 6,456 6,664 Ripley 9,785 10,208 9,250 9,055 Dent 10,248 7,580 9,673 9,991 St.