Should the Missouri State Legislature Consider Early/Advance Voting?

Abstract

In Missouri, advance or early voting has been considered by the General Assembly not necessarily because it may increase turnout, but because it is convenient for voters and could ease the problems of election administration such as those experienced in St. Louis. Historically, voters across the nation have been allowed to vote absentee, primarily due to illness or absence from the jurisdiction on Election Day.1 Early or advance voting is a relatively recent development that permits voters to vote before Election Day for any reason. They may vote at a satellite location (such as a mall, grocery store or library), at the county clerk's offi ce (or the election board office in jurisdictions with election boards), or other county office, as determined by the “election authority”. Some states offer liberalized absentee voting, where voters may vote absentee, often by mail, with no excuse at all as an alternative to early voting. These mechanisms offer somewhat different opportunities and present different challenges than advance voting but, more importantly, they are not under consideration in Missouri. Consequently, they are not examined here.