JEFFERSON CITY — Beginning Tuesday, Missouri voters will be able to cast absentee ballots for the Nov. 5 election without citing an excuse.

Missouri has long offered absentee voting prior to elections, but voters have had to cite an excuse such as being absent from their home jurisdiction on Election Day.

A change to state law in 2022 ushered in a window — beginning two weeks before an election — for voters to cast ballots early without an excuse.

The no-excuse absentee ballots may only be cast in-person at elections offices.

The St. Louis County Board of Elections allows voters to cast their no-excuse absentee ballots at any one of 14 voting sites, including the board’s headquarters at 725 Northwest Plaza Drive in St. Ann.

More information, including a list of satellite voting sites and hours of operation, is available on the St. Louis County Election Board website.

In St. Charles County, no-excuse absentee voting will be available at the election authority headquarters, 397 Turner Boulevard in St. Peters.

No-excuse absentee ballots may also be cast at Element Church at 100 Mall Parkway No. 500 in Wentzville.

The city of St. Louis, meanwhile, will have eight sites available for no-excuse absentee voting, including at the Election Board headquarters at 300 North Tucker Boulevard.

A list of St. Louis early voting sites is on the election board’s website.

The League of Women Voters St. Louis is trying to get the word out regarding Missouri’s recent change to allow no-excuse early voting.

“Unfortunately, not enough people know of the option to vote early,” Joan Hubbard, co-president of the League of Women Voters St. Louis, said in a statement. “People with disabilities or others who want to avoid a long wait on Nov. 5 should take advantage of early voting.”

Missouri still offers absentee voting with an excuse. That kicked off Sept. 24. Absentee ballots mailed to voters must be returned by 7 p.m. on Election Day to count.

In St. Louis County, those ballots may be returned by mail or in person to the Election Board headquarters in St. Ann. They may also be returned to a satellite office prior to Election Day, said Eric Fey, the Democratic director of the county election board.

He said voters casting absentee ballots must present a valid form of photo ID such as a driver’s license or passport.

Voters without a valid photo ID are able to cast provisional ballots on Election Day.

For those votes to count, the voter either needs to return to the polling place with their photo ID, or their signature on the provisional ballot needs to match their signature on file with the election authority.

Fey said that in St. Louis County, as of Monday, about 17,000 absentee ballots had been returned. He said more than 7,000 people had voted in-person absentee at the St. Ann office.

Everything you need to know about voting in the November election

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