Missouri
Voting Guide
Registration Deadlines and Election Dates
Voter Registration Deadline: Postmarked or received by the 4th Wednesday before Election Day
2023
•General Municipal Election Voter Registration Deadline: March 8
•General Municipal Election: April 4
Many jurisdictions will also hold local elections throughout 2023. To learn if your town, city, or county has upcoming elections and for voter registration deadlines, please contact your local election authority.
Official Election Websites
More election information available at:
https://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/goVoteMissouri
Online voter registration available at:
https://s1.sos.mo.gov/votemissouri/request
Mail-in voter registration form available at:
https://s1.sos.mo.gov/Elections/VoterRegistration/Home/Print
Register at School or Home
Students have a decision about where to register to vote.
You have a right to register to vote at the address you consider the place where you live, whether that is your family's home or the place where you attend school. You should update your registration anytime this home address changes.
You may only be registered and vote in one location.
What Type of ID Do I Need to Register?
Missouri’s voter registration form asks for your Missouri driver’s license number or the last four digits of your Social Security number. Be sure to provide one of these numbers if you have it.
What Type of ID Do I Need to Vote?
Missouri requires in-person voters to present one of the following forms of identification:
•A nonexpired Missouri driver or non-driver license;
•A nonexpired military ID, including a veteran’s ID card;
•A nonexpired United States passport; or
•Another photo ID issued by the United States or the state of Missouri which is either not expired or expired after the date of the most recent general election.
You can still use one of the listed IDs if it expired after the most recent election. For more information about Missouri’s voter ID rules, visit: https://www.sos.mo.gov/voterid.
If you registered to vote by mail, have not voted in person before, and requested to vote by mail, you will need to submit a copy of an acceptable ID with your absentee ballot request form. This requirement does not apply if you are located overseas, are on active military duty or living with a family member who is, or have a permanent disability.
Where Do I Vote?
Make a plan. Look up your voting site and hours at:
https://voteroutreach.sos.mo.gov/PRD/VoterOutreach/VOSearch.aspx
How Can I Vote?
By Mail
Missouri requires an excuse to vote by mail. Voters are eligible to vote by mail using one of the following excuses:
•Absence on Election Day from the jurisdiction of the election authority in which the voter is registered
•Incapacity or confinement due to illness or physicsl disability, including a person who is primarily responsible for the physical care of a person who is incapacitated or confined due to illness or disability
•Religious belief or practice
•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
•Incarceration, provided all qualifications for voting are retained
•Certified participation in the address confidentiality program
You may request an absentee ballot from your local election authority either in person or by mail, email, or fax. A request form is also available at: https://www.sos.mo.gov/CMSImages/ElectionGoVoteMissouri/AbsenteeBallotRequestForm.pdf.
Absentee ballot requests must be received by the local election authority by 5 p.m. the 2nd Wednesday before Election Day.
Completed absentee ballots must be received by an election authority by close of polls Election Day.
Early In-Person
Any voter may cast an absentee ballot in person at their local election official's office, starting the 2nd Tuesday before Election Day until 5 p.m. the day before Election Day.
Election Day
Voting sites will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day. If you are in line by closing time, then you have a right to vote.
Curbside voting is available for voters with disabilities.
Common Questions/Concerns
Registering to Vote Does Not Affect Your:
Federal Financial Aid
Where you register to vote will not affect federal financial aid such as Pell Grants, Perkins or Stafford loans, or your dependency status for FAFSA.
Status as a Dependent on Your Parents’ Taxes
Being registered to vote at a different address from your parents does not prevent them from claiming you as a dependent on their taxes.
Tuition Status
Being deemed out-of-state for tuition purposes does not prevent you from choosing to register to vote in your campus community.
Will registering to vote in Missouri affect my driver’s license or car registration?
As a new resident of Missouri, you may be required to obtain a Missouri driver’s license or update your car registration, regardless of whether you registered to vote there. For more information, you may wish to contact the Missouri Department of Revenue.
Fair Elections Center and Campus Vote Project intend the information contained herein to be used only as a general guide. This document should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a licensed Missouri legal professional.
Last updated January 2023