Absentee Voter Information

1. Persons Eligible to Vote an Absentee Ballot.
   
   Any voter may vote an absentee ballot if he/she expects to be unable to go to his/her regular polling place on election day for any of the following reasons:

   • Absence from the jurisdiction of the election authority in which the voter is registered to vote.
   • Incapacity or confinement due to illness or physical disability (which includes a person who is primarily responsible for the physical care of someone 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 the voter’s regular polling place.
   • Incarceration, provided all qualifications for voting are retained
   
   
2. How to Apply for an Absentee Ballot.
   
   A voter may apply for an absentee ballot in person, by mail, by fax sent to 314-622-3378, or by downloading an application from this website.
   
   Download Absentee Ballot Application for a Primary Election
   Download Absentee Ballot Application for a General or Special Election
   
   If you have problems with those applications, a non specific application can be found here:
   MO Secretary of State Absentee Information
   
   A guardian or a relative within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity may also request an absentee ballot for a voter in person at the Election Board. Such a relative includes a voter’s spouse, parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, brother, sister, mother-in-law, father-in-law, daughter-in-law or son-in-law.
   
   The application must be in writing and state the applicant’s name, the address at which the voter is registered, the reason for voting an absentee ballot, and the address to which the ballot is to be mailed (if mailing is requested). In addition, if the election is a primary election, the application must also indicate which ballot (that of a political party or a non-partisan/issues only ballot, if available) the voter wishes to vote.
    

3. Absentee Voting Period.
   
   Absentee voting begins on the sixth Tuesday prior to each election and ends at 5:00 P.M. the day before the election. The last day to request an absentee ballot by mail, by fax or by a guardian or relative is 5:00 P.M. on the Wednesday before the election. A voted absentee ballot may only be returned to the election authority in person by the voter or the voter’s guardian or a relative within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity, or by mail or registered carrier and must be received in the election authority’s office no later than 7:00 P.M. on election day.

4. Notary Requirement.
   
   Unless a voter (a) is voting his/her absentee ballot at the office of the election authority, (b) has requested that his/her name be placed on a list of voters with permanent disabilities maintained by the election authority (see item #5 below), (c) is on active military duty (including spouses and dependents), or (d) is living outside the boundaries of the United States, the affidavit that appears on the return ballot envelope must be signed by the voter before a notary public or other officer authorized by law to administer oaths. This requirement also applies to a first-time voter who registered by mail.
   
   Additional information applicable to military and overseas voters is available elsewhere on this website.

5. Permanently Disabled Voters.
   
   A voter with a permanent disability may request the local election authority to include his/her name on a list of other voters in the jurisdiction with permanent disabilities. Upon receipt of such a request, the voter will thereafter automatically receive from the election authority an absentee ballot application prior to each election in which the voter is eligible to vote. The application to participate in this program must be in substantially the following form:
   
   I, __________________ (applicant’s name), declare that I am a resident and registered voter of the City of St. Louis, Missouri, and am permanently disabled. I hereby request that my name be placed on the Election Board’s list of voters qualified to participate as absentee voters pursuant to RSMO Section 115.284, and that I be delivered an absentee ballot application for each election in which I am eligible to vote.
   
   ______________________________ _________________________________
   Voter’s Signature Voter’s Address