Early voting: Key races, props on Missouri ballot

Early voters are establishing new participation records in several states including Georgia as the general election nears on Nov. 5, 2024.

The first day of early voting in the battleground state saw a record turnout, with 328,000 people casting a vote in person or by mail – more than doubling the previous record of 136,000 in 2020.

While the chances of Vice President winning Missouri over Donald Trump are remote, several key propositions and statewide votes are included on a lengthy ballot.

On Oct. 22, two weeks before the November election, no-excuse absentee voting will begin. Absentee voting with an excuse is already taking place. 

According to the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR), the 2020 U.S. election saw a huge increase in absentee voting and brought unified Democratic control at the federal level.

An absentee ballot is a vote cast by someone who is unable or unwilling to attend the official polling station to which the voter is normally allocated. Methods include voting at a different location, postal voting, proxy voting and online voting.

Eligible voters may apply to vote absentee by mail or in person up to six weeks before each election. A registered voter must submit an application to vote absentee prior to each election before an absentee ballot can be issued.

Absentee ballots may be requested in person until 5pm the day before Election Day from the Board of Election Commissioner’s office at 300 N. Tucker Blvd. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. A mailed application must be received in the board of election commissioner’s office by the second Wednesday prior to the election by 5:00 PM.

“You just need your photo ID. You can vote your absentee ballot and be on the way,” Gary Stoff of the St. Louis Board of Elections said on a recent “First Alert 4” segment.

A voter with a permanent disability may request to be placed on a list of voters in City of St. Louis with permanent disabilities. Once you are on that list, you will automatically receive an absentee ballot application before each election in which you are eligible to participate. You can find and download the application from the Board of Election Commissioners’ website or call (314-622-4336) for more information.

The No Excuse Needed Absentee voting method differs from application-based absentee voting in the following ways:

• You do not have to provide an excuse.
• You do not have to apply for an absentee ballot.
• No excuse needed absentee voting is only available at a few locations.
• You must bring photo identification with you; no provisional ballots are available.
• There is no mail-in ballot option for no excuse needed absentee.

 Absentee voting or voting by mail has been in use since the Civil War when it was implemented to help soldiers cast ballots during an election. Its usage has increased since the 1980s, with an unprecedented expansion during the COVID-19 pandemic. By most expert accounts, mail voting is a safe, secure, and reliable voting method used by voters of all political parties.

The city offers in-person “no excuse” absentee voting options during the two-week span before the November election. Voters can visit the locations listed below from Tuesday through Saturday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and Mondays between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m.

• Buder Library
• Central Library
• Kingshighway Library
• Schlafly Library
• Walnut Park Library
• Election Board at 300 N. Tucker Blvd (Mon-Fri at 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Aug 3 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.)

For more information on absentee or no-excuse absentee voting visit or call the St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners. 

Sylvester Brown Jr. is the Deaconess Foundation Community Advocacy Fellow.