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Here's what you need to know if you're voting in Missouri in 2012:

VOTER REGISTRATION

To register to vote, you must be:

  • 18 years of age by Election Day;
  • A U.S. citizen; and
  • A Missouri resident.

No person shall be entitled to vote:

  • While confined under a sentence of imprisonment;
  • While on probation or parole after the conviction of a felony; or
  • After conviction of a felony or misdemeanor connected with voting or the right of suffrage.

Missourians can register to vote:

The last day to register to vote for the Aug. 7, 2012, primary election is July 11, 2012. The last day to register to vote for the Nov. 6, 2012, general election is Oct. 10, 2012.

VOTING

You will need to show an ID to vote in Missouri. Please be prepared to show one of the following:

  • ID issued by the federal government, state of Missouri or a local election authority (for example, a Missouri driver's license or ID, a passport or a voter identification card);
  • ID issued by a Missouri institution (public or private) of higher education, including a university, college, vocational or technical school;
  • A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check or other government document that contains your name and address; or
  • Driver's license or state identification card issued by another state.

If you do not possess any of these forms of identification, you still may cast a ballot if two supervising election judges, one from each major political party, attest that they know you.

Changes to the Ballot

Missouri no longer allows the "straight party" ticket option. You must mark your ballot individually for each candidate you choose.

ABSENTEE VOTING

You may vote absentee if you are going to be unable to vote on Election Day due to:

  • Absence from the jurisdiction of the election authority in which you are registered to vote;
  • Incapacity or confinement due to illness or physical disability, including primary caregivers;
  • 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 your polling place; and
  • Incarceration, provided all qualifications for voting are retained.

The absentee voting period begins on the sixth Tuesday before the date of the election.  All requests for an absentee ballot should be submitted by the day before the election if voting in person, or by 5 pm the Wednesday immediately before the election if requesting a ballot by mail.  The election authority must receive all absentee ballots by the close of polls on Election Day for them to be counted.

You can apply for an absentee ballot in person, by mail, by fax or a guardian or close relative (parents, siblings, children, grandchildren, grandparents, as well as these relationships through marriage) may request in person an absentee ballot for you.  Each application should be made to the election authority of the jurisdiction in which you are registered.  Applications can be found at: http://www.sos.mo.gov/forms/elections/absentee.pdf

The application must be in writing and must give the following information:

  1. Name;
  2. Voter registration address;
  3. Reason for voting absentee;
  4. The address to which the ballot is to be mailed, if requested; and
  5. Which party's ballot is requested, if it's a primary election.

For more details or to answer specific questions on absentee voting, contact your local election authority or contact the secretary of state's Election Division at 800-NOW-VOTE (669-8683) or elections@sos.mo.gov.