Postal voting period opens for November general election

Voting by mail will be used in Missouri for the November general election. Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft said there were several valid reasons for absentee voting.

“They will be out of jurisdiction on Election Day. Maybe it’s poll workers, students or military personnel overseas,” Ashcroft told Missourinet. “They are allowed to vote early and can send in their ballots by mail.”

Valid reasons also include illness or disability, which has led to another question: If someone votes by mail but dies before Election Day, will their vote be counted?

“Generally speaking, yes,” Ashcroft said. “The law has been changed so that a ballot is counted once it is returned to the election authority.”

Anyone who cares for a sick or disabled person is also eligible to vote by post. People in prisons or jails who have not lost their right to vote, people enrolled in the state’s address confidentiality program and first responders also can vote by mail. Ashcroft said absentee voting is not limited to mailing in a ballot.

“We also have people who will be out of jurisdiction on Election Day but want to be able to vote in person via absentee ballot now,” he said. “This six-week period has begun.”

According to Ashcroft, mail-in ballots are the first votes counted on Election Day. He also reminds voters not to take photos or selfies that reveal who they are voting for.

The deadline for requesting a postal vote by mail or fax is October 23rd. Then, two weeks before Election Day, Missouri begins the no-excuse absentee voting period, during which people can vote in person by absentee ballot in their local precinct without having to meet the conditions listed above. Photo ID is required to vote by mail in person.

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