How Do I Register To Vote in Missouri?
Most people can register to vote without much trouble, but the process can differ depending on your situation. Here are some examples:
Students
Students attending school in Missouri have a few voting options. You can:
- Register and vote in the county where you have lived with your parents (if you consider that your permanent residence)
- Register and vote in the county where you are going to college if that is now your permanent address
- Register and vote by absentee ballot in the state where you previously lived if you consider that your permanent residence
- Become a resident of the State of Missouri and vote in the county where your school is located. However, you can choose to register and vote in one state only
Military and Overseas Voters
The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) allows you to complete an application and request an absentee ballot.
Survivors of Violence
Missouri’s Safe at Home Address Confidentiality Program helps protect victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, human trafficking, or similar crimes. If you enroll, you can receive an alternate address and mail-forwarding service.
Homeless or Impermanent Voters
You can register to vote if you are homeless or do not have a traditional street address. You will need a mailing address to receive an address verification card.
Once verified, you will be registered and receive a voter ID card. You can use the address of a homeless shelter or day center.
Convicted Felons
A felony conviction temporarily suspends your right to vote while you are incarcerated, on parole, or on probation. After you complete your sentence, you become eligible to vote again and must re-register.
You are not automatically registered to vote by completing a voter registration application. Election officials must still verify the information you provided on your application. They will contact you if they approve your voter registration application or if they need further information, ensuring you are ready to participate before election results are tallied.
You can check your voter registration status on the Missouri Secretary of State website.
When Is Missouri’s Voter Registration Deadline?
If you register by mail, your voter registration envelope must be postmarked no later than the fourth Wednesday before the election. If you register in person, you must register by the deadline for that particular election. See the Secretary of State‘s website for a calendar of election deadlines.
How Do I Request an Absentee Ballot in Missouri?
You must apply to vote by absentee ballot and provide a reason for wanting to do so. These are the allowable reasons for absentee voting:
- You are out of your jurisdiction and unable to get to your polling place
- You are unable to get to the polls due to caregiving
- You are unable to get to the polls due to incapacity, illness, or disability
- You are unable to get to the polls due to your religious beliefs or practices
- You are unable to get to the polls due to your employment as an election authority (or by an election authority at a location other than your polling place), as a first responder, as a health care worker, or as a member of law enforcement
- You are unable to get to the polls because you are incarcerated but are still eligible to vote
- You are a certified participant in the address confidentiality program
To apply for an absentee ballot, you can request it in person at the office of your local election authority. You can also download the Request for Missouri Absentee Ballot Form. Complete the absentee ballot application and return it either in person, by fax, by mail, or by delivery to your local election authority. For a mailed absentee ballot, the election authority must receive your application by 5 p.m. on the second Wednesday before the election. If you vote absentee in person, you may apply until 5 p.m. on the day before the election.
If you requested an absentee ballot and registered by mail but have not yet voted in person, you must submit a copy of an acceptable ID unless you already provided one with your registration application.
If you are a military member or live overseas, you can use the FVAP website to vote absentee.
Early Voting in Missouri
Missouri voters do not need a reason to vote before Election Day. Beyond the excuse-based absentee voting described above, the state allows any registered voter to cast a no-excuse, in-person ballot during a two-week early voting window that closes right before polls open.
This early voting period begins on the second Tuesday before the election and runs through the Monday before Election Day. You can find early voting dates for an upcoming election on the Secretary of State‘s election calendar.
You will vote in person at a polling location designated by your local election authority. This location can differ from your regular Election Day polling place, so check with your county clerk or election board before you go. As with regular Election Day voting, you must bring an acceptable form of photo ID.
What Do I Need To Bring to the Polls in Missouri?
Poll workers will ask you to present an acceptable ID if you are already a registered voter. The following are acceptable identification documents that meet the ID requirements:
- A valid Missouri driver‘s license or non-driver license
- A valid military ID, including a veteran’s ID card
- A valid U.S. passport
- Any other photo ID issued by the United States or the state of Missouri, as long as it’s current, or if it has expired, the expiration date falls after Missouri’s most recent general election
Missouri’s photo ID requirement took effect in June 2022. Before that law passed, voters without a qualifying photo ID had other options. They could provide alternative documentation, such as a student ID or a current utility bill, or sign a sworn statement affirming that they did not have an accepted form of ID. That law removed those alternatives. Voters without a qualifying photo ID must now cast a provisional ballot, which is discussed in the section below.
The League of Women Voters of Missouri and the Missouri State Conference of the NAACP challenged the photo ID law in Cole County Circuit Court. They argued that it placed an unconstitutional burden on the right to vote. The circuit court upheld the law in November 2024.
On March 24, 2026, the Missouri Supreme Court affirmed that ruling, finding that the challengers lacked legal standing to bring the case. The photo ID requirement remains in effect statewide.
If you arrive at the polls without an acceptable ID, you have another option: casting a provisional ballot. Election officials will count it once your signature matches the one already on file, or once you bring an accepted ID back to that same polling place before voting ends for the day.
What If I Don’t Have a Photo ID?
If you do not have an acceptable form of photo ID, you may qualify for a free Missouri nondriver’s license for voting purposes. The state offers several resources to help close this gap.
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Missouri Department of Revenue. The department provides one free nondriver license to Missouri residents who need a photo ID to vote and do not already have one. You can request this through any license office in the state. Call 573-526-VOTE (8683) or visit the Department of Revenue’s website to get started.
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Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. If you need a birth certificate to apply for your free nondriver license, the department’s Bureau of Vital Records will provide one certified copy at no cost. This applies as long as you do not already have a current driver’s license or nondriver’s license. Call (573) 751-6387 or email VitalRecordsInfo@health.mo.gov to request your copy.
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Missouri Secretary of State. The office of the Secretary of State can also assist you in gathering other documents helpful in obtaining a non-driver license. This includes a birth certificate, marriage license, adoption decree, naturalization papers from the U.S. Department of State, or a court order reflecting a legal name change. If you need documents from another state or the federal government, the office will cover that cost on your behalf.
If you need help obtaining a photo ID, contact the Secretary of State‘s office. Staff can help identify which documents are required and how to get them.
What If There’s a Problem with My Registration?
Do not leave without voting if a poll worker cannot find your name on the precinct register or raises some other question about your eligibility.
Under Missouri’s provisional ballot statutes, poll workers cannot turn you away simply because they can’t confirm your identity or registration status on the spot. You still get to vote on a provisional basis.
Casting a provisional ballot means filling out an affidavit on the ballot envelope. Your vote counts if you return to that same polling place with an acceptable photo ID before the polls close. It also counts if election officials later confirm that your signature matches the one on file with your registration. Missouri does not allow ballot curing after Election Day. Check your registration status in advance and bring an accepted ID if you have one.
Accommodations for Voters with Disabilities
Every Missouri polling place has at least one handicapped-accessible voting machine with an audio ballot option and an on-screen ballot that can enlarge text. If you cannot read or write, are visually impaired, or have difficulty marking a ballot, you can bring a person of your choice to help you vote, except your employer or an agent of your employer, or an officer or agent of your labor union. You can also ask a poll worker for assistance.
If a physical disability makes it difficult to access the polling place, you can do curbside voting. A poll worker will bring a ballot to your car. You can also request to receive an absentee ballot to vote by mail.
Illegal Activity at the Polls
Missouri state law prohibits certain activity in and around polling places on Election Day. Campaigning, handing out campaign literature, posting political signs, and conducting exit polls or surveys are all off-limits inside a polling place or within 25 feet of its outer door. The following actions are also against the law:
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Interfering with a voter inside a polling place
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Disclosing how a specific voter cast their ballot, if you are an election judge
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Causing a disturbance that disrupts voting
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Refusing to remove a campaign sign from the restricted zone once asked
Missouri law also prohibits campaign apparel, including buttons, hats, or T-shirts that promote a candidate or ballot measure, inside a polling place or within 25 feet of one. Poll workers may ask you to cover or remove such items before entering. Refusing can result in removal from the precinct.
Credentialed nonpartisan poll watchers and challengers may observe the voting process. If you are unsure whether an action is allowed, ask a poll worker.
What Should I Do If I See Something Suspicious?
Report a suspected election law violation to an election judge at the polling place first. The exception is if that judge is the person you believe is breaking the rules. You can escalate the issue by filing a complaint with the Secretary of State‘s Elections Division using the Election Complaint Form.
You may also report voting law violations to the U.S. Department of Justice. If you believe your voting rights were violated, contact a Missouri civil rights attorney experienced in voting law.
Getting Legal Help
If you were turned away at the polls, denied a provisional ballot, or blocked from registering, you do not have to figure out your next steps alone. A civil rights attorney can explain whether your rights were violated and what recourse you have, including under Missouri’s election laws or federal voting rights protections.
