All states · Nonpartisan. No account. No cookies.
Can I vote by mail in Missouri?
Only with a qualifying reason.
You need an approved reason, such as travel, illness or disability, age, or work. Check your state's list. If you don't qualify, early in-person voting is usually an option.
Reasons to vote absentee: away from your jurisdiction, illness or disability (including caring for someone), religious practice, working the election, first responder, health care worker or law enforcement, incarceration with voting rights intact, or address-confidentiality participant. No-excuse voting is available in person from Oct. 20; mailed ballots still need a reason. Send your application to your LOCAL election authority, not the Secretary of State, or it is not valid. A spouse, parent, or child can file one in person for you.
- Voter registrationWed, Oct 7Passed
- Mail request must be receivedWed, Oct 21, 5 p.m.Passed
Missed the request deadline?
- Voters who after 5 p.m. Oct. 21 become hospitalized or confined by illness or injury, or are in a care or nursing facility on Election Day, in the county. Deadline: Tue, Nov 3. Contact your local election authority; a bipartisan team brings the application and ballot to you and returns them. source
- NextFill it in, sign the envelope, and get it in the mail byTue, Oct 272 days
USPS says allow 7 days. Your ballot must be received by Tue, Nov 3. After this date, use a drop box or return it in person.
- Returning it:
Received by close of polls on Election Day.
Dropping it off? There are no public drop boxes here, so the mail or an election office is your route.
Who can return it for you: Only certain people may return it for you. A mailed ballot may be returned only by you in person, by a relative within the second degree (spouse, parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, and in-laws) in person, by mail or registered carrier, or by a team of election officials. Drop boxes are prohibited by law. source
- Election DayTue, Nov 39 days
If your ballot gets flagged
If your ballot was flagged
Missouri has no statewide process to fix a flagged mail ballot. Call your county election office right away and ask whether you can still vote another way, such as in person.
Call your county election office. You can say:
Hi, I voted by mail and my ballot was flagged. What do I need to do to fix it, and by when? Can I do it today?
Trouble voting? Free, nonpartisan hotline: 866-OUR-VOTE · 888-VE-Y-VOTA · 888-API-VOTE · 844-YALLA-US
Where are you with your ballot?
Where are you with your ballot?
Will your ballot count in Missouri?
Will your ballot count in Missouri?
- Is this your first time voting by mail?
- Have you moved since you last voted?
- Has your signature changed much since you registered?
Why ballots get rejected in Missouri, and how to avoid it
- Extra step in your state: a notary must sign the envelope, unless you are voting absentee because of illness or a permanent disability, or you care for someone who is. Being 65 or older is not an exemption. Check the form. This is the #1 reason ballots get tossed where it applies.
- Registered by mail and never voted in person? Include a copy of your photo ID with the request unless you sent one at registration. The ID and notary rules don't apply to overseas voters, active-duty military and their families, or permanently disabled voters and their caregivers.
- Sign the envelope. An unsigned envelope is the most common fixable mistake.
- Use the secrecy sleeve if one is included, then the return envelope. Don't tape anything.
- Keep the phone and email on your registration current. If there's a problem, that's how they reach you to fix it.
Voting in person insteadpolling place, early voting, ID
Open now through Mon, Nov 2. Locations and hours
Bring a photo ID. If you don't have one there's a fallback, usually signing an affidavit or having your signature checked, and your ballot still counts that day.
Accepted: Nonexpired Missouri driver or nondriver license; nonexpired military ID incl. veteran's ID; nonexpired U.S. passport; other U.S./Missouri-issued photo ID not expired or expired after the most recent general election. Without one: Registered voter casts a provisional ballot; it counts if EITHER the voter returns to the polling place on Election Day with photo ID OR the local election authority finds the provisional envelope signature matches the registration record (no follow-up trip needed in that case).
More about your statepermanent list, counting, alerts
Missouri has a permanent absentee list for voters with a permanent physical disability. Sign up once and you won't have to request again. Ask your local election authority; it then mails you an APPLICATION before each election, not a ballot.
Missouri cannot start counting mail ballots until Election Day itself, so results take longer than you might expect. Results are certified Tue, Dec 8.
- Military or overseas. You're covered by federal law (UOCAVA), which usually gives you longer deadlines and electronic delivery. Use the Federal Post Card Application to register and request a ballot in one step. If your ballot doesn't arrive, the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot is your backup. FVAP.gov
- College student. You can register at your school address or your family's, not both. If you're registered back home and away at school, request a mail ballot from home early; campus mail is slow. Some states require a specific reason for students to vote absentee, so check your state's rule above. Student voter guide
- Disability or need help marking a ballot. Every state must offer an accessible way to vote. Most have an accessible mail-ballot option you can mark on a screen reader or your own device, and all allow a person of your choice (not your employer or union rep) to assist. Ask your county election office for the accessible absentee ballot. If illness, a hospital stay or a disability keeps you from the polls AFTER the request deadline, most states still have a way to get you a ballot: see "Missed the request deadline?" under your state's dates, and "Who can return it for you" for whether a family member or helper may carry it back. EAC: voters with disabilities
- Moved recently. Your registration is tied to your address. If you moved within your state, update it before the registration deadline; if you've moved across state lines, register in the new state. Moved after the deadline? Many states let you vote at your old precinct one last time or update in person; call your county. vote.gov
- Past felony conviction. Rules vary widely: some states restore rights automatically on release, others after probation or parole, a few require a separate process. Don't assume you can't vote. Check your state before the registration deadline. NCSL: restoration of voting rights
Add these dates to my calendarPrintable one-pagerText this to myselfEmail it
Verified against the official page 2026-09-25. Rule checked 2026-09-09. Deadlines checked 2026-09-09. Request deadlines are "received by," not postmarked. The official site wins if anything differs. Spot something wrong? We check every report against the state's own page and fix errors as soon as they're reported. Email fix@ballotbymail.org or use the report form.