Be Prepared
Election laws have changed in Missouri. They go into effect on August 28, so if you voted in the August 2nd Primary Election, all voters should be prepared for a few changes in the rules on November 8. Now is the time to make sure you are prepared and have what you need. First of all, HB 1878 makes changes to voting by absentee and in-person voting. Absentee voting for the November 8 Election will open on September 27. You may request an absentee ballot be mailed to you by contacting your Election Board, either by phone or online. Voters will also be able to vote early, by absentee in person at the local Election Board Office or at a location designated by them. You must provide a reason for needing to vote absentee, and that has been expanded to include first responder, health care worker, or law enforcement. It also includes Space Force members and their families. Other previously established reasons include absence on Election Day, incapacity, or confinement due to illness or physical disability including caring for someone who is incapacitated, religious belief, employment as an election authority, incarceration, or participation in the address confidentiality program. A provision of the new law, however, allows for no-excuse absentee voting starting the second Tuesday prior to Election Day (October 25). Please note that if your reason is due to incapacity or confinement, you must expect to have such disability on Election Day, and caretakers who are voting absentee must reside at the same address. Absentee ballots that are mailed in must be notarized unless they are requested due to incapacity or incarceration.
Anyone voting in person, whether it be at your polling place on Election Day or at the Election Board Offices, will be required to provide a government-issued photo ID, the most common form being a non-expired Missouri driver’s license or a non-expired Missouri non-driver’s license. Any other form of ID must include a photo, a name that substantially conforms to the Voter’s registration signature, an expiration date showing that the document is not expired, and it must be issued by the United States or the State of Missouri. The only other acceptable unexpired identification must contain a photograph of the individual and is issued by the Missouri National Guard, the United States Armed Forces, including the Space Force, or the United States Department of Veteran Affairs to a member or former member of the Missouri National Guard or the United States Armed Forces, including the Space Force. If you do not have such ID, now is the time to begin that process as part of your voting plan. Check your current ID to be sure it conforms and will not be expired on November 8.
The budget for the Secretary of State has appropriated funds for assisting Missourians with acquiring a State-issued ID that conforms to the photo ID for voting requirements. You can contact them by calling toll-free (866) 868-3245 or by email at Showit2Vote@sos.mo.gov.
Check Your Status
The new Election Laws allow for the Secretary of State to purge voter rolls. Under HB 1878, The Secretary of State (SOS) is authorized to audit the voter registration records of any local election authority (LEA). Each such audit shall, at least quarterly, determine whether the LEA has performed certain voter registration list maintenance activities that are required by law. If, after completing the audit, the SOS determines that the LEA has not performed such activities, then the SOS may withhold transaction funds associated with voter list maintenance from the LEA. You can check your voter status on a variety of websites including your LEA and the SOS. A great source of information regarding voter registration and voting access is the League of Women Voters of Kansas City/Jackson-Clay-Platte Counties.
Kansas City Election Board
www.kceb.org
816-842-4820
30 W Pershing Road,
Suite2800
(Union Station)
Monday-Friday
8:00-5:00
Jackson County Board of Elections
www.jcebmo.org
816-325-4600
215 N Liberty,
Independence, MO
Monday-Friday,
8:30-5:00
Missouri State
Representative
Ingrid Burnett
District 19
