ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — No-fault absentee voting started in Missouri Tuesday. Election officials across the state say some areas are taking advantage of the opportunity more than others.
Until Election Day, you can cast a vote early without giving a reason.
Also new this year, all voters need to bring a state or federal ID for their vote to count. Election officials say an easy way to verify your ID is to make sure it has an expiration date. If not, you can vote provisionally until your ID is verified.
"There are some issues that I'm really concerned about," Mari Dakins said. "Candidates who support my thinking and what I see happen, I want to make sure my voice is counted."
Dakins is happy she has the ability to cast her ballot ahead of Election Day. So is Virginia Conley.
"We need to get out and make sure our voices are heard," Conley said. "If the outcome isn't what I expect it to be, we don't have a leg to stand on in terms of complaining about how things turned out."
St. Louis County officials say so far voter turnout is lower than in 2018.
"Yesterday, when the satellite locations opened up, it was heavy in west and south county, not so much in the other areas," Rick Stream, Republican Director of Elections, said.
Like the last election, you can vote at any voting location in the county. There are seven satellite locations open for absentee voting right now. Stream said 30% of St. Louis County voters took advantage of this in 2020.
Stream said his office still needs more Republican poll workers. He guarantees the integrity of this election is not in jeopardy.
"We have an excellent system of physical security with all of our equipment in terms of cyber security," Stream said. "None of our equipment is ever connected to the internet so it can't be hacked. We have a chain of custody for all of our equipment and ballots that's 100 percent."
In St. Charles County, election officials said they are anticipating a higher turnout this year compared to 2018.
North County Recreation Complex
2577 Redman Road
St. Louis, MO 63136
Board of Elections (BOE)
725 Northwest Plaza Drive
St. Ann, MO 63074
UMSL Millennium Student Center
17 Arnold Grobman Drive
Bellerive Acres, MO 63121
St. Louis County Library
Mid County Branch
7821 Maryland Avenue
Clayton, MO 63105
St. Louis County Library
Daniel Boone Branch
300 Clarkson Road
Ellisville, MO 63011
STLCC Meramec
Business Administration Building (Room 105)
11333 Big Bend Road
Kirkwood, MO 63122
St. Johns UCC Mehlville
11333 St. Johns Church Road
Green Park, MO 63123
Buder Library
4401 Hampton Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63109
Julia Davis Library
4415 Natural Bridge Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63115
Schlafly Library
225 N. Euclid Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63108
St. Louis City Election Board
300 N. Tucker Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63101
St. Charles County Election Authority
397 Turner Boulevard
St. Peters, MO 63376
Augusta Public Library
198 Jackson Street
Augusta, MO 63332
Lake St. Charles Retirement Community
45 Honey Locust Lane
St. Charles, MO 63303
Rivers Pointe Fire Station #2
1300 Le Sieur Street
Portage Des Sioux, MO 63373