St. Louis County voters, get ready to vote in the November 5th, 2024 election!
Make sure you can make your voice heard as a Missouri voter in the crucial November election! Educate yourself about your voting options and rights as a voter in St. Louis County by reading the information below, and make a plan to vote.
Important dates for voters in St. Louis County:
September 24 – Absentee voting (with excuse) begins in St. Louis County
October 9 – Last day to register to vote in Missouri to be eligible for the November 5, 2024 election
October 22 – No-excuse in-person absentee voting begins in St. Louis County. Satellite voting sites open (see the St. Louis County Board of Elections website for a list of satellite voting locations and hours).
October 23 – Last day to request an absentee ballot (by 5 pm) but note you can still vote absentee-in-person at the satellite voting locations after this date
November 4 – Last day to vote absentee in St. Louis County
November 5 – Election day
How to check your voter registration in Missouri:
Visit the the voter portal page at the Missouri Secretary of State’s website to check your voter registration information and make sure it is accurate and up-to-date. Note that the last day to register as a voter in Missouri to be eligible to vote in the November 5, 2024 election is October 9, 2024. Please make sure to check your voter registration information before the October 9 deadline!
How to register to vote or change your voter registration in Missouri:
With the October 9th deadline to register before the November election fast approaching, here are the fastest ways to get registered as a new Missouri voter or update your existing registration:
How to register to vote or update your voter registration online
To register to vote as a first time Missouri voter online, visit the voter registration page at the Missouri Secretary of State’s website. In order to register to vote online, you will need to have access to a device with a touch screen that will allow you to sign documents digitally, and a Missouri approved form of government issued ID such as a driver’s license or state ID.
If you are already registered to vote in Missouri but would like to update your voter registration information to include new information such as a change of address or a change in party affiliation, you can also use the voter registration page at the Missouri Secretary of State website, or, if you are already registered to vote in St. Louis County specifically, and you have not moved to a different county, you can fill out this voter update form from the St. Louis County Board of Elections website and email it to the address provided on the form. The St. Louis County voter update form can also be faxed to the fax number provided on the form.
How to register to vote or update your registration in person at the Board of Elections office
If you would like to register to vote or update your voter registration in person at the St. Louis County Board of Elections office, you will need to visit the office at 725 Northwest Plaza Drive, St. Ann, MO 63074 during open hours, which are Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Be sure to bring a government issued ID with your current address. If you have questions about registering to vote or updating your registration, you can also call the St. Louis County Board of Elections during those hours at 314-615-1800.
Remember: all voter registration updates for the November 5, 2024 election. must be made before October 9th, 2024.
How to find a sample ballot for review before voting
If you are a registered voter in St. Louis County, you should receive a paper sample ballot in the mail from the St. Louis County Board of Elections before the election. If you would like to view a digital sample ballot online, you can visit the St. Louis County Board of Elections website and click on the button labeled “Sample Ballot Lookup.” Then enter your address.
Your options for voting
In the state of Missouri, you can:
- Vote before Election Day by voting absentee by mail, or in person at some Board of Elections offices, with an approved excuse
- Vote before Election Day by voting absentee in person, without an excuse, for several days prior to the election
- Vote in person at a polling place on Election Day
How to vote absentee by mail in St. Louis County
To vote absentee by mail in St. Louis County, voters need to qualify with one of the following excuses for being unable to vote on election day:
- The voter will be absent from St. Louis County on Election Day
- The voter will be incapacitated or confined due to illness or physical disability on Election Day, or will be caring for a person who is incapacitated or confined due to illness or disability at the same address
- A religious belief or practice will restrict the voter from voting on Election Day
- The voter is employed as an election authority, by an election authority at a location other than the voter’s polling place; as a first responder; as a health care worker; or as a member of law enforcement
- The voter is incarcerated, although all necessary qualifications for voting have been retained
- The voter is a member of the U.S. armed forces in active service, or dependent, or spouse
- The voter is a civilian employee of the U.S. government working outside the United States
- The voter is registered to vote in the state of Missouri, and has moved to St. Louis County after the 4th Wednesday prior to an election
- The voter is a former resident of Missouri and is authorized to vote for federal offices by federal law (this applies to many voters who live abroad)
- The voter is a participant in the Missouri Safe at Home program
If you wish to vote absentee by mail, you will need to fill out an application to request an absentee ballot from the St. Louis County Board of Elections. You can learn more about the qualifications for voting absentee by mail with an excuse, and find out more about how to vote absentee, by visiting the absentee voting guide on the St. Louis County Board of Elections website.
Missouri law requires that most mail-in absentee ballots be signed by the voter in front of a notary public and notarized before they are returned to the election board. There are exceptions to this rule for military voters, voters living overseas, and voters on the permanent disability list. Be sure to read your absentee ballot instructions carefully and follow them to make sure your ballot can be counted!
Notaries are available during regular open hours at all St. Louis County Library locations, but the library recommends that library patrons who need to use notary services call ahead to the library location they intend to visit make sure the notary is working at that particular location that day.
The UPS Store also offers notary services at some locations.
You can learn more about voting by mail at the Missouri Democratic Party website and the St. Louis County Board of Elections absentee voting page.
How to vote absentee in person
Voters who qualify to vote absentee by mail with one of the excuses listed above can also vote in person at the St. Louis County Board of Elections office in St. Ann during normal business hours, or drop their filled out ballot off in person at the St. Louis County Board of Elections office in St. Ann during normal business hours, or have a qualified relative drop it off for them. You can learn more about these options in the absentee voting guide at the St. Louis County Board of Elections website. The Board of Elections office has notaries available to notarize absentee ballots for voters who drop their ballots off there themselves in person.
No-excuse absentee in person voting will also be available in St. Louis County starting on October 22nd. Voters can vote in person at one of several satellite sites across St. Louis County. You can find a list of all satellite voting locations, and their open dates and hours, at the St. Louis County Board of Elections website.
Voting in person on Election Day in St. Louis County
To vote in person on November 5th, 2024, St. Louis County registered voters can vote at any polling place in St. Louis County. You do not have to vote at the polling place nearest to your residence.
Be sure to bring an approved form of photo ID to the polls. This can be a driver’s license, a non-driver state ID, a US passport, or a military photo ID. You will need an approved ID to get a regular ballot. However, if you do not have a valid photo ID, but are a registered Missouri voter, please note that you are still allowed to ask for a provisional ballot, which can later be counted if your ID is confirmed a signature match.
The polls will be open from 6 am to 7 pm. If you are in line waiting to vote when the polls close at 7 pm, you are still allowed to vote. The polling place must allow everyone who is in already line at closing time to vote before closing down.
If you are a registered voter and workers at the polling place on Election Day will not issue you a regular ballot because they cannot find your voter registration information, or because they do not accept your ID as valid, be sure to ask for a provisional ballot! A provisional ballot can be counted if, after checking, the election authority determines you were eligible to vote and if your signature matches the one on file with the Board of Elections office.
Voter ID rules for Missouri
Acceptable forms of voter ID in the state of Missouri include:
- A Missouri driver’s license
- A Missouri non-driver’s state ID
- Military photo IDs, including military issue veteran’s ID cards
- A passport
- Another form of photo ID issued by the US federal government or the government of the state of Missouri
To be considered valid for the purposes of voting, your ID must either be in-date, or expired at a date after the most recent general election before the election you are voting in. IDs that expired earlier than the most recent general election before the current election will not be accepted as valid forms of voter ID.
Please note that if you do not have a current, valid form of voter ID with you to show at the polls on Election Day, if you are a registered voter in the state of Missouri, you can still request a provisional ballot. If you come back later the same day with a valid voter ID, or if your local election authority finds that your signature matches the copy of the signature they have on file, your ballot can still be counted.
You can learn more about Missouri voter ID rules at the Missouri Secretary of State website’s Missouri voter ID page.
Information for voters with disabilities
Having a disability that impairs your ability to get to the polls is a valid excuse for with-excuse
absentee voting.
Voters with disabilities in St. Louis County can apply to be added to the permanently disabled
list. Those on the list will automatically receive an application for an absentee ballot by mail
before each election, which they can then fill out to get an absentee ballot in the mail. Apply for addition to the permanently disabled list here.
All polling places (including satellite locations for no-excuse absentee voting) in St. Louis
County are required to meet ADA accessibility guidelines.
By Missouri law, on Election Day, polling places are required to make curbside voting available
for disabled voters who are not able to leave their car. Contact the St. Louis County
Board of Elections for more info on how to vote curbside.
How to report a problem at the polls
If you witness or experience a problem at the polls on Election Day, such as:
- Voters being threatened or intimidated outside or inside of polling places
- Eligible voters being improperly turned away
- A failure to accommodate a voter with a disability
- Problems with voting equipment
- A polling place opening late, closing early, or failing to open at all
then you should definitely report the problem to an appropriate organization as soon as possible. We recommend contacting both Election Protection and (if the problem takes place in St. Louis County) the St. Louis County Board of Elections:
Election Protection: call 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)