April 4 election: What you should know to vote in Missouri, Illinois
Tuesday is Election Day in Missouri and Illinois, and many important issues and positions are on ballots across the St. Louis area.
Many Missouri and Illinois voters will head to the polls Tuesday, April 4 to voice their opinion on a wide variety of local issues and candidates.
Unlike the general election in November, federal and state legislative offices aren't up for grabs this time. Instead, municipal elections are focused on electing city and county officials, though not all will hold an election this year.
It's also a time to bring up local propositions, and many municipalities have proposals related to the taxation of recreational marijuana.
Here’s what you need to know before casting your ballot.
For live results on election night, click here.
Absentee Voting
Missouri
April 3 is the last day to cast a no-excuse, in-person absentee ballot at a location designated by your local election authority in Missouri. It’s also the last day for application-based absentee voting.
Illinois
April 3 is the last day for early voting. March 30 is the last day to mail vote-by-mail ballots. Voter registration closed on March 7. Learn more about early voting here.
Election Day
Missouri
April 4 is Election Day in Missouri. Polling places across the state open at 6 a.m. Tuesday and will remain open until 7 p.m. If you're in line before 7 p.m., you will still be allowed to vote.
Click here to see if you're registered to vote and to find your designated polling place.
Missouri law requires all voters to present some form of ID before they can be issued a ballot. The following forms of identification are acceptable for voting:
- A nonexpired Missouri driver or non-driving license.
- A nonexpired military ID, including a veteran’s ID card.
- A nonexpired U.S. passport.
- Another photo ID issued by the U.S. or Missouri that has not expired or expired after the date of the most recent general election.
If you are registered to vote but do not come with an accepted form of ID on Election Day, you can still vote at your assigned polling place by casting a provisional ballot. However, that provisional ballot will only count if you return to your polling place on Election Day with your photo ID or if the local election authority determines the signature on your provisional matches the signature on your voter registration record.
Illinois
April 4 is Election Day in Illinois. Polling places across the state open at 6 a.m. Tuesday and will remain open until 7 p.m. If you're in line before 7 p.m., you will still be allowed to vote.
Click here for voter registration lookup.
The ballot
Here are some of the key races and propositions on St. Louis-area ballots.
Propositions on marijuana
Dozens of cities and counties are voting on recreational marijuana taxes. The legalization of adult-use cannabis this year allowed cities and counties to tax it.
This is called "Proposition M" on many ballots.
The amendment to legalize marijuana in Missouri placed a 6% state sales tax on purchases and authorized local governments to add a 3% sales tax.
Read more about the propositions here.
St. Louis County
A proposal for an additional tax on marijuana will be put in front of St. Louis County voters. Voters will decide whether or not to adopt a 3% sales tax on adult-use marijuana in unincorporated St. Louis County with Prop M.
County Executive Sam Page said the additional tax would generate more than $3 million a year for county parks, police and roads.
Click here to view the St. Louis County sample ballot.
St. Louis City
Redistricting has put 14 aldermen positions and the president of the board on the ballot. For more than a century, 28 members of the Board of Aldermen governed the City of St. Louis. Now, a newly drawn map slices the number of wards in half from 28 to 14, leading to what local candidates have labeled "Aldergeddon."
Proposition C asks voters if the city should create a charter commission for the first time since 1949. That effort ultimately failed when voters rejected the proposed changes, which left the original 1914 document in place.
Reform advocates see the charter commission as a rare chance to require more transparency, eliminate redundant or unnecessary elections, and remove stubborn obstacles to progress in modernizing government.
St. Louis is also proposing an additional 3% tax on the retail sales of adult-use recreational marijuana in the city. This is on top of the 6% state sales tax Missouri voters approved when recreational pot was legalized in November.
Click here to view the St. Louis city sample ballot.
St. Charles County
With Proposition 3, St. Charles County voters will decide whether to impose a 3% sales tax on recreational marijuana. It would be separate from the existing St. Charles County general retail sales tax of 1.725% and in addition to the 6% state sales tax.
Click here to view the St. Charles County sample ballot.
O'Fallon, Missouri
The O’Fallon, Missouri, Fire Protection District is appealing to voters to try and get more money for upgrades and repairs with Proposition F.
The zero-tax-rate-change bond proposal would allow the fire district to issue $16 million in general obligation bonds. If approved, the district said it will:
- Replace aging fire trucks that are among the oldest in the area.
- Update aging emergency medical and firefighting equipment and gear.
- Provide additional emergency medical, fire and rescue training equipment and opportunities.
- Update, repair and maintain the district's four fire stations.
St. Charles City
Incumbent Dan Borgmeyer faces Tom Besselman in the race for City of St. Charles mayor.
The April election comes just weeks after Borymeyer announced the city's lawsuit against Ameren Missouri over contamination of its wellfields. Due to traces of 1,2-dichloroethene and vinyl chloride, St. Charles has shut down six of its seven wells.
In January, the City of St Charles launched a "more complete" independent investigation into the water contamination after saying it repeatedly raised concerns about the Environmental Protection Agency performing limited groundwater sampling.
Click here to view the St. Charles County sample ballot that includes St. Charles City ballot items.
St. Clair County
Cities, towns and villages in St. Clair County, Illinois, are electing mayors, alderpersons, trustees, clerks, councilmembers, commissioners and school board members. These include communities like Fairview Heights, Mascoutah, Cahokia Heights and Belleville.
See the voter resource page here.
Belleville
Voters in Belleville, Illinois, are selecting Board of Aldermen members. See the candidates on the ballot here.
Madison County
Cities, towns and villages in Madison County, Illinois, are electing mayors, alderpersons, trustees, clerks, councilmembers, commissioners and school board members. These include communities like Alton, Wood River, Glen Carbon and Pontoon Beach.
See the full ballot here.
Monroe County
Cities, towns and villages in Monroe County, Illinois, are electing mayors, aldermen, trustees, clerks, councilmembers, commissioners and school board members. These include communities like Columbia, Illinois, Waterloo, Maeystown, New Athens and Red Bud.
See the full ballot and a list of polling places here.
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