Applications to vote absentee in Missouri close next week

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Primary elections are just around the corner, and so is the deadline to register to vote absentee.

In Missouri, the deadline to apply for a mailed absentee ballot is Tuesday.

According to the Boone County Government website , voters can request an absentee ballot by email, fax or by mailing in a completed application document .

Absentee voting is available to any registered Boone County voter who cannot make it to their polling place on Election Day because of their absence from Boone County, service as a poll worker, illness or physical disability or participation in Missouri's Safe at Home program.

However, Boone County also offers no-excuse absentee voting, which is when any registered Boone County voter can go to the Government Center and cast a ballot in person, just like on Election Day.

Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon said that Boone County is also offering no-excuse absentee voting starting next week.

"Starting on Tuesday, July 23rd, we will have no excuse. Absentee voting where every Boone County voter, if they would like to vote before Election Day, they can," she said. "They don't need a reason and they don't need to sign up in advance. They can come to the Government Center and they can get checked in, cast their ballot, just like on Election Day during this two weeks of no-excuse absentee voting."

According to a report from The Heritage Foundation , Missouri is ranked in the top tier for election integrity.

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft shared how Missouri has excelled in this area.

"It's been a lot of work working with the legislature, pushing them to pass good legislation. We made, the paper ballot, the official ballot of the states," he said. "It has to do with having a photo I.D. requirement, so when someone votes, we know they are who they say they are. It has to do with outlawing ballot drop boxes and outlawing Zuckerbucks and things like that, just to make sure that, yes, if you're a legally registered voter in our state, you can vote, but you can also know that your vote and the votes of the other legal voters of the state will make the decisions."

As always, voters will need to have a photo ID when casting their vote, whether it be in-person or absentee. A photo ID can be:

• A nonexpired Missouri driver or non-driver license;
• A nonexpired military ID, including a veteran’s ID card;
• A nonexpired United States passport; or
• Another photo ID issued by the United States or the state of Missouri that is either not expired or expired after the date of the most recent general election.

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