How do I register to vote?
Am I eligible to vote?
It’s Election Day! What do I do?
Can I vote early?
How do I vote absentee?

How do I register to vote?

Voters in Missouri have three different ways to register to vote:

- To register to vote, fill out the Missouri Voter Registration Application, fill in your county information, and mail the completed form to the pre-printed address

- Go to the Local Election Authority

o Find your Local Election Authority

- Or, go to any Department of Motor Vehicles office

Voter registration MUST BE RECEIVED by Oct. 8, 2008. Mail it in or drop it off at your local election authority.

You will not be able to register to vote on election day, so register now!

Am I eligible to vote?

In order to register to vote in the state of Missouri, you must be

o 18 years of age or older

o U.S. citizen

o Missouri resident

- You cannot vote if

o Confined under a sentence of imprisonment

o On probation or parole after the conviction of a felony

o After conviction of a felony or misdemeanor connected with voting or the rights of suffrage

It’s Election Day!  What do I do?

Find your local polling place (look it up here), remember to bring your ID, and vote for Judy!

- Voter ID Information

o You must have one of the following forms of identification when you vote

§ ID issued by the Federal Government, state of Missouri, or a local election authority;

§ ID issued by a Missouri institution (public or private) of higher education, including a university, college, vocational and technical school;

§ A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check or other government document that contains the name and address of the voter;

§ Driver’s license or state identification card issued by another state.

- Where to vote

o The Secretary of State’s office has compiled a Voter Information Lookup page on its website that will determine both if you are registered and the location of your polling place.

o However, non-standard addresses such as rural route addresses will not appear on this website. If that is your case, you should contact your Local Election Authority.

Can I vote early?

- Yes, but only via absentee ballot. In-person early voting is not permitted in the state of Missouri.  Just apply for an absentee ballot, fill it out, and mail it back beginning six weeks before the election. Ballots must be post-marked no later than Oct. 29, 2008.

How do I vote absentee?

Request your absentee ballot here: Request a Missouri Absentee Ballot

Mail your ballot in by Oct. 29, 2008 or deliver by hand to your local election authority by 5pm on November 3, 2008.

- Absentee voters must provide one of the following reasons for voting absentee:

o Being absent from your voting district on Election Day

o Incapacity to go to the polling state, or if you are the primary care giver of someone who is incapacitated

o Religious belief or practice

o Employment as an election authority, as a member of an election authority, or by an election authority at a location other than such voter’s polling place

o Incarceration, if you still meet the other voting qualifications

- You can make a Request for Missouri Absentee Ballot Form from your local election authority in person or by fax.  The ballot MUST be mailed back to the Local Election Authority, not to the Secretary of State’s office.

o Local Election Authority Contact Information

- Mail in or faxed absentee ballot requests must be received by the election authority no later than the 5:00 p.m. on the Wednesday prior to any election.

- You can vote absentee in the office of the local election authority until 5:00 p.m. the night before the election.

- You may vote absentee beginning six weeks before an election.

- If you’re requesting an absentee ballot by mail and have not voted in person, you must submit a copy of your personal identification or provide one with your registration application

- Examples of acceptable identification are:

o Identification issued by the state of Missouri, an agency of the state, or a local election authority of the state;

o Identification issued by the United States government or agency

o Identification issued by an institution of higher education, including a university, college, vocational and technical school, located within the state of Missouri;

o A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document that contains your name and address

o Driver’s license or state identification card issued by another state