No-excuse, in-person absentee voting underway in Missouri

Monica Dunn, St. Joseph News-Press, Mo.
·3 min read

Oct. 26—Missouri voters are heading to the polls early thanks to a new state law allowing no-excuse, in-person voting two weeks before Election Day.

Buchanan County saw 54 voters use this new method on its first day on Tuesday. The Buchanan County Clerk's Office saw about 20 voters cast their ballot within the first hour of the office being open.

Missouri's General Assembly passed the voting law in May that allowed for the no-excuse absentee voting and strengthened voter identification laws. Before, Missouri voters had to provide a valid excuse, such as being out of town on Election Day, in order to vote absentee. Now, Missouri offers four weeks of excused absentee voting followed by two weeks of no-excuse absentee voting.

Clinton Shipp cast his ballot Tuesday morning because he is an election judge for the midterms. Shipp said it is important to get out to vote.

"It's the only thing we got," Shipp said. "We just have to keep things going in the right direction and hope that it comes out as good or better than it is now."

Shipp said the economy was a top consideration going into the polls.

"Well, being an old senior, you just have to hope that prices go down and we get something done with the economy. Just like it always is, it needs to be fixed or made better somehow," said Shipp.

Buchanan County Clerk Mary Baack-Garvey is not sure how many people will take advantage of the no-excuse absentee voting.

"This is brand new, so it's really hard to gauge how it's going to be," Baack-Garvey said. "I have a feeling it's going to be a very beneficial option for our voters."

The new form of absentee voting operates similarly to voting on Election Day.

"You still have to show your Missouri photo ID or a passport or a military ID and we process you just the same," Baack-Garvey said. "You sign a piece of paper as opposed to an iPad and you vote your ballot. It's very similar to what you would be doing on Election Day."

Voters looking to vote in-person absentee need to show government-issued identification. Acceptable options include driver's licenses that are not expired, a state ID, a non-expired military ID, a veteran ID card or a U.S. passport.

People voting on Election Day can cast their ballot without an ID by using a provisional ballot. County clerks will check the signature on that ballot with the signature on the individual's voter registration.

However, people hoping to vote early with the no-excuse absentee voting must show their ID. They will not have the provisional ballot option.

Any registered voter in Missouri can cast their ballot at their county clerk's office until Election Day. The Buchanan County Clerk's Office is opening Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The office is also opening on Saturday, Nov. 5, from 8 a.m.- noon.

Wednesday at 5 p.m. is the deadline to submit a request for a mail-in absentee ballot.