On June 4, Missouri Governor Mike Parson signed into law SB 631 in an effort to safeguard the election process and protect Missouri voters during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Any Missourian affected by COVID-19 should still be able to vote, including those who are sick or considered at-risk,” Governor Parson said. “I fully agree with President Trump’s position and do not support any plan to expand mass mail-in voting without a reason. This only enables voter fraud and ballot harvesting, and I am proud to sign this bill to stop that process from happening in our state.”

Absentee voting begins June 23 for the August primary, and will change for the November general election. Howard County Clerk Shelly Howell said that any eligible, registered voter can vote by mail. Such a voter will need to request a mail-in ballot application from the clerk’s office or website. Mail-in ballots may be requested in person, but they still must be mailed to each voter.

The deadline to request a mail-in ballot for the August election is 5 p.m. on Wednesday, July 22. Applications for mail-in ballots must be received by the deadline. 

Under SB 631, a mail-in absentee ballot will only be an option for voters who specifically request one. To prevent voter fraud and ballot harvesting, voters must also submit notarized statements under penalty of perjury with their ballots. Ballots must be returned and received in an envelope postmarked by U.S. Mail by the time polls close at 7 p.m. on election day.

“The mail-in ballot must be mailed by US mail, to and from the voter, and notarized,” Howell explained. “It must reach the County Clerk/Election Authority’s office by 7 p.m. on election day.

“You cannot have a relative drop off a mail-in ballot in my office,” Howell said.

By requiring a signature verification, this provision reduces the opportunity for an individual to fraudulently cast another voter’s ballot and provides a safe, secure, and legal way for Missourians to vote during the pandemic. 

“We are not against voting by mail for people who have a reason. Our current law allows for that, and this bill allows for that,” Governor Parson said.

Voters voters will be eligible to vote without a notary under the following circumstances: 

• Incapacity or confinement due to illness (usually a permanent absentee);

• In 2020, has contracted coronavirus or is at-risk due to any of the following: 

(a) is age 65 or older; 

(b) lives in a long-term care facility; 

(c) has a chronic lung disease/asthma; 

(d) has a serious heart condition; 

(e) is immunocompromised; 

(f) has diabetes; 

(g) has a chronic kidney disease and are undergoing dialysis; or 

(h) has liver disease.

Voters are eligible to vote absentee with a notary, or in the County Clerk/Election Authority’s office, if due to: 

• religious beliefs or practice; 

• working as a election worker; 

• incarceration, as long as voter retains the right to vote; 

• participation in Safe at Home program;

• absence on election day from election jurisdiction.

The deadline to request an absentee ballot to be mailed out is 5 p.m. on Wednesday, July 22. The application for such must be received in the county clerk’s office by the deadline. Absentee ballots may be requested in person up until the 5 p.m. on Monday, August 3, the day before the election. The Howard County clerk’s office will be open from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, August 1.

Absentee ballots may be turned in by mail or in person of a relative of the second degree by the time polls close at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, August 4.

The deadline to register to vote for the August 4 Primary election is 5 p.m. on Wednesday, July 8. The clerk’s office is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The office will close July 3 in observance of Independence Day.

SB 631 also includes a provision giving voters who have contracted or are at-risk of contracting COVID-19 the option to cast an absentee ballot without notarization. Both provisions will expire on December 31, 2020.