CHAPTER 7 MISSOURI ELECTIONS Weinhold St. Francois Photo courtesy of Missouri State Archives Publications Collection 588 OFFICIAL MANUAL The statutes require that all public elections be held on the general election day, the primary election day, the general municipal election day, the first Tuesday after the first Monday in Missouri Voting November, or on another day expressly provided by city or county charter and in nonprimary years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday and Elections in August. (115.123.1, RSMo) The general election day is the first Tuesday Who registers to vote in Missouri? after the first Monday in November in even- numbered years. The primary election day is the Citizens living in Missouri must register in first Tuesday after the first Monday in August in order to vote. Any U.S. citizen 17 years and 6 months of age or older, if a Missouri resident, even-numbered years. (115.121 (1 & 2), RSMo) may register and vote except: Elections for cities, towns, villages, school A person who is adjudged incapacitated. boards and special district officers are held the A person who is confined under sentence of first Tuesday after first Monday in April each imprisonment. year, known as “general municipal election day.” A person who is on probation or (115.121.3, RSMo) parole after conviction of a felony until A statewide presidential preference primary finally discharged. shall be held on the second Tuesday after the A person who has been convicted of a felony first Monday in March of each presidential or misdemeanor connected with the right of election year. (115.755, RSMo) suffrage. (115.133, RSMo) Who conducts registration and elections? How do Missourians register? Voter registration and the conduct of Qualified citizens may register in person elections are the responsibilities of boards of at the office of their local election authority, election commissioners in the counties of Clay, by mail, at the driver’s license fee office or at Jackson, Platte and St. Louis; and in the cities participating state agencies. Registration in of Kansas City and St. Louis; and of the election person is accomplished by filling out registration authority in St. Charles County. The county forms with information on identity, residence clerk serves as the election authority in all other and qualifications which are signed and sworn counties of the state. to, then witnessed by the election authority or a designee. (115.155, RSMo) Special voting provisions Registration by mail, at the driver’s license Disabled voters and persons prevented from fee office or at the participating state agencies voting at the polls because of absence or illness requires submission of an application stating may vote absentee. Persons with permanent qualifications. A verification or rejection of disabilities may apply for permanent absentee registration is sent by the election authority ballot status by making application with the within seven working days. (115.155 and local election authority. (115.284, RSMo) 115.159, RSMo) Curbside voting is permitted in Missouri, or voters may be transferred to more accessible When do Missourians register? precincts. Local election officials should be An unregistered citizen may register to vote contacted about absentee federal service whenever local election officials’ places of balloting or ‘’new resident’’ ballots for residents business are open, by requesting an application who arrive after the registration deadline. by mail from the election authority, when renewing a Missouri driver’s license or when What forms of identification are receiving services from a participating state acceptable? agency. Special registration sites and dates may Option 1: Show your valid Missouri Driver be utilized prior to major elections. License, Missouri Nondriver License, Passport or The deadline for registration is the fourth Military ID. Wednesday prior to an election. New Missouri Option 2: Show one of the following: residents may register immediately. (115.135, RSMo) Missouri Voter Registration Card, ID issued by Missouri, ID issued by the US Government, When do Missourians vote? ID issued by a Missouri university, college, In addition to certain special and emergency vocational or technical school, utility bill, bank dates, there are six official election dates in statement or government check and then sign a Missouri: statement affirming your identity. MISSOURI VOTING AND ELECTIONS 589 Option 3: If you do not possess any of these these parties for any elective office from the forms of identification, but are a registered voter, county level and above. In order to become you may cast a provisional ballot. ‘’established,’’ a party must have received more More information about the photo voter than two percent of the votes cast statewide ID requirement is available online at www. for at least one of its candidates. New parties ShowIt2Vote.com. If you do not have an are formed by petition and may exist on the county, district or state level. They must meet approved form of identification from Option 1 the same standard as any other party to remain above, the Secretary of State’s Office will help “established.’’ you obtain the documents needed for a free At the time of primary elections, voters photo ID (Missouri Nondriver License). Any select county committee members of questions may be directed to the Show It 2 Vote established parties in Missouri. Those committee Hotline at 866-868-3245. (115.427, RSMo) people, thus elected, have certain duties and responsibilities. They serve, as appropriate, Elections and political parties as members of legislative, senatorial, judicial Missourians do not register under party and congressional district committees. affiliation. Hence, at primary elections, voters County, district or state committee members may choose which ‘’established party’’ they may be called on to fill candidate vacancies vote within. Party nominees—and independent on party ballots or to select nominees for candidates—are then listed on the general special elections from time to time. The state election ballot. committees are selected, indirectly, by local There are presently five ‘’established committee persons. The state committees political parties’’ statewide—the Democratic, become especially important when delegates to Republican, Libertarian, Constitution and Green presidential nominating (national) conventions parties. Persons may seek the nomination of are being selected. Registered voters in Missouri, 2006–2016 *This is the number of registered voters from the Missouri Centralized Voter Registration list as of the November 8, 2016, General Election. This number is subject to change as the local election authorities continue to conduct their ongoing list maintenance activities. COUNTY 2006 2008 2010 2014 2016 Adair 14,744 17,427 17,032 14,676 15,231 Andrew 11,400 11,648 12,050 11,842 12,188 Atchison 4,677 4,726 4,291 3,935 3,815 Audrain 16,476 16,397 16,384 15,442 15,507 Barry 19,777 20,794 20,847 20,292 21,045 Barton 9,022 9,015 8,536 8,686 8,653 Bates 12,292 12,091 11,806 11,218 11,616 Benton 12,900 13,670 13,722 13,525 13,877 Bollinger 7,916 8,259 8,611 8,170 8,287 Boone 105,897 121,319 118,350 116,074 131,020 Buchanan 52,561 56,750 54,790 54,108 52,049 Butler 25,779 32,908 33,259 29,486 28,799 Caldwell 6,205 6,248 6,226 6,043 6,328 Callaway 28,177 29,454 30,533 28,070 28,572 Camden 27,689 30,229 30,444 29,795 31,788 Cape Girardeau 49,745 51,205 51,611 52,628 53,503 Carroll 6,730 7,091 6,632 6,269 6,314 Carter 4,789 4,727 4,497 4,591 4,761 Cass 69,129 70,475 69,104 71,524 71,389 Cedar 8,491 8,609 8,597 8,194 8,416 Chariton 5,931 5,957 5,864 5,630 5,536 Christian 53,007 50,033 52,674 54,721 56,933 Clark 5,299 5,384 5,458 4,957 4,933 Clay 137,215 151,042 153,054 155,779 169,796 Clinton 13,663 14,455 13,817 14,250 14,700 Cole 51,285 52,878 52,022 52,775 53,755 590 OFFICIAL MANUAL COUNTY 2006 2008 2010 2014 2016 Cooper 11,367 11,494 11,202 11,432 11,308 Crawford 17,338 17,337 17,270 15,908 16,131 Dade 5,422 5,510 5,784 5,909 5,986 Dallas 10,438 10,939 11,045 10,884 10,931 Daviess 5,440 5,434 5,389 5,028 5,396 De Kalb 6,664 6,530 6,541 6,549 6,504 Dent 9,991 9,596 9,477 9,731 9,558 Douglas 10,621 10,758 10,147 9,924 9,684 Dunklin 21,236 21,560 20,466 17,754 17,359 Franklin 65,619 67,505 68,812 69,219 70,716 Gasconade 10,263 10,579 10,663 10,498 10,634 Gentry 5,218 5,181 4,914 4,709 4,669 Greene 184,050 190,417 197,379 189,229 190,103 Grundy 6,509 6,862 6,693 6,751 6,726 Harrison 5,959 6,050 5,593 5,281 5,243 Henry 15,868 16,106 16,285 15,774 15,780 Hickory 6,751 7,030 7,138 6,584 6,762 Holt 3,990 3,830 3,841 3,475 3,324 Howard 8,435 8,052 7,805 7,075 6,939 Howell 25,787 25,673 26,229 26,486 27,043 Iron 6,773 7,180 7,143 6,893 6,983 Jackson 228,673 244,570 245,295 245,782 256,808 Jasper 75,549 78,612 76,247 78,973 77,987 Jefferson 141,066 146,316 143,343 138,097 148,904 Johnson 28,739 31,290 32,747 32,070 32,487 Kansas City 235,459 230,897 227,649 214,871 222,578 Knox 2,955 2,926 2,843 2,610 2,515 Laclede 21,733 22,935 23,560 22,879 23,140 Lafayette 22,773 22,986 23,655 23,322 23,145 Lawrence 22,937 23,964 24,134 23,803 24,317 Lewis 6,790 6,793 6,920 6,680 6,691 Lincoln 30,494 33,411 34,090 34,854 36,222 Linn 9,023 8,943 9,079 8,639 8,636 Livingston 9,000 9,582 9,591 9,456 9,520 McDonald 14,725 13,140 13,617 12,532 13,140 Macon 10,581 10,871 10,627 10,331 10,730 Madison 8,364 8,377 7,729 7,549 7,825 Maries 6,838 6,622 6,449 6,214 6,218 Marion 19,056 19,005 18,883 19,207 19,945 Mercer 2,669 2,768 2,764 2,540