CHAPTER 7 MISSOURI ELECTIONS Johnson Shut Ins Photo courtesy of Missouri State Archives 586 OFFICIAL MANUAL When do Missourians vote? In addition to certain special and emergency dates, there are six official election dates in Mis- Missouri Voting souri: The statutes require all public elections be held on the general election day, the primary and Elections election day, the general municipal election day, the first Tuesday after the first Monday in Novem- Who registers to vote in Missouri? ber, or on another day expressly provided by city or county charter, and in nonprimary years on Citizens living in Missouri must register in the first Tuesday after the first Monday in August. order to vote. Any U.S. citizen 17 years and 6 months of age or older, if a Missouri resident, (Section 115.123.1, RSMo.) may register to vote in any election held on or The general election day is the first Tuesday after his or her 18th birthday, except: after the first Monday in November in even- A person who is adjudged incapacitated; numbered years. The primary election day is the A person who is confined under sentence of first Tuesday after the first Monday in August in imprisonment; even-numbered years. (Sections 115.121 (1 & 2), A person who is on probation or parole after RSMo.) conviction of a felony until finally discharged; or Elections for cities, towns, villages, school A person who has been convicted of a felony boards and special district officers are held the or misdemeanor connected with the right of suf- first Tuesday after the first Monday in April each frage. (Section 115.133, RSMo.) year, known as “general municipal election day.” (Section 115.121.3, RSMo.) How do Missourians register? A statewide presidential preference primary shall be held on the second Tuesday after the first Qualified citizens may register in person at Monday in March of each presidential election the office of their local election authority, by year. (Section 115.755 RSMo.) mail, at the driver’s license fee office or at par- ticipating state agencies. Registration in person is accomplished by filling out registration forms Who conducts registration and with information on identity, residence and qual- elections? ifications which are signed and sworn to, then Voter registration and the conduct of elections witnessed by the election authority or a designee. are the responsibilities of boards of election com- (Section 115.155, RSMo.) missioners in the counties of Clay, Jackson, Platte Registration by mail, at the driver’s license and St. Louis; in the cities of Kansas City and St. fee office or at the participating state agencies re- Louis; and of the election authority in St. Charles quires submission of an application stating quali- County. The county clerk serves as the election fications. A verification or rejection of registra- authority in all other counties of the state. tion is sent by the election authority within seven working days. (Sections 115.155 and 115.159, Special voting provisions RSMo.) Disabled voters and persons prevented from voting at the polls because of absence or illness When do Missourians register? may vote absentee. Persons with permanent dis- An unregistered citizen may register to vote abilities may apply for permanent absentee ballot whenever local election officials’ places of busi- status by applying with the local election author- ness are open, by requesting an application by ity. (Section 115.284, RSMo.) Curbside voting is mail from the election authority, when renewing permitted in Missouri, or voters may be trans- a Missouri driver’s license or when receiving ser- ferred to more accessible precincts. Local elec- vices from a participating state agency. Special tion officials should be contacted about absentee registration sites and dates may be utilized prior federal service balloting or ‘’new resident’’ bal- to major elections. lots for residents who arrive after the registration The deadline for registration is the fourth deadline. Wednesday prior to an election. New Missouri When voting, Missourians must show an ap- residents may register immediately. (Section proved form of identification. (Section 115.427 115.135, RSMo.) RSMo.) MISSOURI VOTING AND ELECTIONS 587 Elections and political parties the same standard as any other party to remain “established.’’ Missourians do not register under party af- filiation. Hence, at primary elections, voters At the time of primary elections, voters select may choose which ‘’established party’’ they vote county committee members of established par- within. Party nominees—and independent can- ties in Missouri. Those committee people, thus didates—are then listed on the general election elected, have certain duties and responsibili- ballot. ties. They serve, as appropriate, as members of legislative, senatorial, judicial and congressio- There are presently four ‘’established political nal district committees. County, district or state parties’’ statewide—the Democratic, Republican, committee members may be called on to fill Libertarian and Constitution parties. Persons may candidate vacancies on party ballots or to select seek the nomination of these parties for any elec- nominees for special elections from time to time. tive office from the county level and above. In The state committees are selected, indirectly, by order to become ‘’established,’’ a party must have local committee persons. The state committees received more than 2 percent of the votes cast become especially important when delegates to statewide for at least one of its candidates. New presidential nominating (national) conventions parties are formed by petition and may exist on are being selected. the county, district or state level. They must meet Registered voters in Missouri, 2006–2014 *This is the number of registered voters from the Missouri Centralized Voter Registration list as of the November 4, 2014, 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 2012 2014 Adair 14,744 17,427 17,032 15,873 14,676 Andrew 11,400 11,648 12,050 12,308 11,842 Atchison 4,677 4,726 4,291 4,222 3,935 Audrain 16,476 16,397 16,384 16,734 15,442 Barry 19,777 20,794 20,847 20,665 20,292 Barton 9,022 9,015 8,536 8,712 8,686 Bates 12,292 12,091 11,806 11,913 11,218 Benton 12,900 13,670 13,722 13,770 13,525 Bollinger 7,916 8,259 8,611 8,600 8,170 Boone 105,897 121,319 118,350 125,339 116,074 Buchanan 52,561 56,750 54,790 52,390 54,108 Butler 25,779 32,908 33,259 29,999 29,486 Caldwell 6,205 6,248 6,226 6,201 6,043 Callaway 28,177 29,454 30,533 28,307 28,070 Camden 27,689 30,229 30,444 30,680 29,795 Cape Girardeau 49,745 51,205 51,611 52,928 52,628 Carroll 6,730 7,091 6,632 6,473 6,269 Carter 4,789 4,727 4,497 4,518 4,591 Cass 69,129 70,475 69,104 73,146 71,524 Cedar 8,491 8,609 8,597 8,450 8,194 Chariton 5,931 5,957 5,864 5,708 5,630 Christian 53,007 50,033 52,674 54,116 54,721 Clark 5,299 5,384 5,458 5,025 4,957 Clay 137,215 151,042 153,054 156,591 155,779 Clinton 13,663 14,455 13,817 14,395 14,250 Cole 51,285 52,878 52,022 53,249 52,775 Cooper 11,367 11,494 11,202 11,436 11,432 Crawford 17,338 17,337 17,270 16,154 15,908 Dade 5,422 5,510 5,784 5,889 5,909 Dallas 10,438 10,939 11,045 11,092 10,884 Daviess 5,440 5,434 5,389 5,285 5,028 588 OFFICIAL MANUAL COUNTY 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 DeKalb 6,664 6,530 6,541 6,678 6,549 Dent 9,991 9,596 9,477 9,676 9,731 Douglas 10,621 10,758 10,147 10,236 9,924 Dunklin 21,236 21,560 20,466 19,117 17,754 Franklin 65,619 67,505 68,812 69,647 69,219 Gasconade 10,263 10,579 10,663 10,723 10,498 Gentry 5,218 5,181 4,914 4,840 4,709 Greene 184,050 190,417 197,379 197,500 189,229 Grundy 6,509 6,862 6,693 6,763 6,751 Harrison 5,959 6,050 5,593 5,583 5,281 Henry 15,868 16,106 16,285 15,937 15,774 Hickory 6,751 7,030 7,138 6,714 6,584 Holt 3,990 3,830 3,841 3,577 3,475 Howard 8,435 8,052 7,805 7,886 7,075 Howell 25,787 25,673 26,229 26,801 26,486 Iron 6,773 7,180 7,143 7,035 6,893 Jackson 228,673 244,570 245,295 246,737 245,782 Jasper 75,549 78,612 76,247 78,268 78,973 Jefferson 141,066 146,316 143,343 148,086 138,097 Johnson 28,739 31,290 32,747 33,224 32,070 Kansas City 235,459 230,897 227,649 221,355 214,871 Knox 2,955 2,926 2,843 2,879 2,610 Laclede 21,733 22,935 23,560 23,376 22,879 Lafayette 22,773 22,986 23,655 24,140 23,322 Lawrence 22,937 23,964 24,134 24,058 23,803 Lewis 6,790 6,793 6,920 6,659 6,680 Lincoln 30,494 33,411 34,090 34,780 34,854 Linn 9,023 8,943 9,079 8,896 8,639 Livingston 9,000 9,582 9,591 9,597 9,456 Macon 10,581 10,871 10,627 7,616 10,331 Madison 8,364 8,377 7,729 6,595 7,549 Maries 6,838 6,622 6,449 19,247 6,214 Marion 19,056 19,005 18,883 12,993 19,207 McDonald 14,725 13,140 13,617 10,659 12,532 Mercer 2,669 2,768 2,764 2,565 2,540 Miller 16,527 17,514 17,279 17,654 17,134 Mississippi 8,144 8,691 8,454 8,677 8,900 Moniteau 9,281 9,404 9,397 9,469 9,268 Monroe 6,275 6,238 6,087 5,972 5,856 Montgomery 8,129 8,457 8,190 8,259 8,143 Morgan 12,703 12,936 12,941 12,836 12,503 New Madrid 11,883 12,660 13,249 13,119 12,388 Newton 38,250 38,791 38,877 40,092 39,286 Nodaway 12,714 14,127 14,098 13,807 13,481 Oregon 6,660 7,045 7,458 7,356 7,307 Osage 9,011 9,215 9,382 9,552 9,407 Ozark 7,817 7,476 7,482 7,011 6,942 Pemiscot 12,214 12,275 13,376 12,013 11,538 Perry 12,016 12,446 12,803 12,398 12,071 Pettis 27,059 28,137 25,420 25,909 25,993 Phelps 25,861 27,387 27,617 28,576 28,401 Pike 11,675 11,724 11,481 11,396 11,085 Platte 58,513 62,658 62,570 64,619 64,285 Polk 18,142 19,899 19,450 20,090 19,561 Pulaski 18,581 20,800 22,782 22,265 21,255 MISSOURI VOTING AND ELECTIONS 589 COUNTY 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 Putnam 3,858 3,936 4,038 3,728 3,724 Ralls 7,969 7,942 7,509 7,413 7,043 Randolph 14,518 15,485 15,617 15,753 15,834 Ray 17,896 16,226 14,539 17,826 17,804 Reynolds 6,620 6,223 6,170 5,375 5,008 Ripley 9,055 9,080 9,259 9,349 9,126 Saline 15,212 15,321 15,590 15,811 14,582 Schuyler 3,262 3,226 3,260 2,913 2,857 Scotland 3,098 3,144 3,138 3,165 3,061 Scott 25,170 27,325 26,850 27,187 26,355 Shannon 5,370 5,274 5,395 5,401 5,145 Shelby 4,900 4,830 4,864 4,673 4,606 St.