Title IX — SUFFRAGE AND ELECTIONS

115.297. Precinct registers to show absentee ballots received — judges to be notified of late absentee ballots received — voting absentee and at polls, procedure for. — Before the precinct registers are delivered to the polling places for an election, the election authority shall…

115.299. Absentee ballots, how counted. — 1. To count absentee votes on election day, the election authority shall appoint a sufficient number of teams of election judges comprised of an equal number of judges from each major political party. 2. The teams so appointed shall meet …

115.300. Preparation of absentee ballot envelopes, when, by whom. — In each jurisdiction, the election authority may start, not earlier than the fifth day prior to the election, the preparation of absentee ballots for tabulation on the election day. The election authority shall g…

115.302. Mail-in ballots, use of not authorized. — Mail-in ballots shall not be authorized by any executive or administrative order and no authorization for the use of mail-in ballots shall be inferred from any general law. This section shall not preclude the use of absentee ball…

115.303. Absentee ballot, how challenged. — Any absentee ballot or any vote on an absentee ballot may be challenged by the same persons and in the same manner as provided in section 115.429. Each challenge shall be decided in the manner provided in the same section. ­­-------- (L…

115.304. Absentee voting violations, class one election offense. — Notwithstanding the provisions of any law to the contrary, any violation of sections 115.275 to 115.303 shall be a class one election offense. ­­-------- (L. 1983 S.B. 234)

115.306. Disqualification as candidate for elective public office, when — filing of affidavit, contents — tax delinquency, effect of. — 1. No person shall qualify as a candidate for elective public office in the state of Missouri who has been found guilty of or pled guilty to a f…

115.307. Nominations, how made. — Political parties and groups of voters may nominate candidates in the manner provided by this subchapter and in no other manner. ­­-------- (L. 1977 H.B. 101 § 10.005) Effective 1-01-78

*115.308. Inapplicability of sections 115.307 to 115.405, when. — Sections 115.307 to 115.405 shall not apply to candidates for special district offices; township offices in township organization counties; or city, town, and village offices. ­­-------- (L. 2015 H.B. 63 merged wit…

115.309. New parties, names of. — 1. Except as provided in subsections 2 and 3 of this section, no political party hereafter organized and no persons hereafter seeking to nominate any candidate by petition shall use any portion of the name of any existing political party. 2. If a…

115.311. Consistent general law to apply to primary elections. — All provisions of law not inconsistent with this subchapter shall apply with full force and effect to primary elections. ­­-------- (L. 1977 H.B. 101 § 10.015) Effective 1-01-78

115.313. Petitions to form new party or nominate independent candidates, who may sign. — Any person who is a registered voter of the state of Missouri may sign a petition for the formation of a new political party or for the nomination of an independent candidate for office. Any …

115.315. New political party, how formed — citation of law. — 1. Sections 115.315 to 115.327 shall be known and may be cited as the "Fair Ballot Access Act". 2. Any group of persons desiring to form a new political party throughout the state, or for any congressional district, st…

115.317. Filing valid petition, effect — new party — failure in two consecutive elections to provide candidates, effect. — 1. The filing of a valid statewide petition shall constitute the political group a new party for the purpose of placing its name and the names of its statewi…

115.319. New party committeemen and committeewomen, how selected. — 1. If any new party becomes an established political party, the new party candidates whose names first appeared on the ballot shall have authority to select all committeemen and committeewomen necessary for a pro…

115.321. Independent candidate, how nominated. — 1. Any person desiring to be an independent candidate for any office to be filled by voters throughout the state, or for any congressional district, state senate district, state representative district, or circuit judge district, s…

115.323. Limitation on voter's signing of nominating petition. — No voter may subscribe to more than one nomination for one office at any election. ­­-------- (L. 1977 H.B. 101 § 10.047) Effective 1-01-78

115.325. Form of petition — signing petition, voting for candidate or party not required. — 1. Each petition filed pursuant to sections 115.307 to 115.405 shall consist of pages of uniform size. The space for signatures on either side of a petition page shall be no larger than ei…

115.327. Declaration for nomination of independent candidate or formation of new party when required, form, content. — When submitted for filing, each petition for the nomination of an independent candidate or for the formation of a new political party shall be accompanied by a d…

115.329. Time for filing of petitions. — 1. The secretary of state or any election authority shall not accept for filing any petition for the formation of a new party or for the nomination of an independent candidate which is submitted prior to 8:00 a.m. on the day immediately fo…

[Repealed or reserved.]

115.333. Determination of validity or invalidity, when made — refusal to file, procedure to have court determine validity. — 1. When any petition is filed with the secretary of state or an election authority under the provisions of this subchapter, the secretary of state or the e…

115.335. Validity of signatures, who shall determine — verification of signatures, procedures — rules authorized. — 1. The secretary of state or the election authority shall have specific authority to determine the validity of signatures on petitions filed with his or her office …

115.337. City election authority to assist county election authority, verify signatures, when. — 1. When an election authority for a county and an election authority for a city have jurisdiction within the same county, the county election authority may, for the purpose of verifyi…

115.339. Nominations, how made. — Except as otherwise provided in this subchapter, all candidates for elective office shall be nominated at a primary election in accordance with the provisions of sections 115.339 through 115.405 of this subchapter. ­­-------- (L. 1977 H.B. 101 § …

115.341. Primary elections, when held. — For the nomination of candidates to be elected at the next general election, a primary election shall be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in August of even-numbered years. ­­-------- (L. 1977 H.B. 101 § 10.085) Effective 1-…

115.343. Winner of primary to be only candidate of that party for that office — write-in in general election deemed independent. — The person receiving the greatest number of votes at a primary election as a party candidate for an office shall be the only candidate of that party …

115.345. Notice of offices for which candidates are to be nominated, when sent — election authority to publish notice with filing date. — 1. Not later than the third Monday in December immediately preceding the primary election, the secretary of state shall prepare and transmit t…

115.347. Declaration of candidacy required prior to name appearing on ballot — fraudulent declaration a class one offense. — 1. No candidate's name shall be printed on any official ballot unless his written, signed and sworn declaration of candidacy has been filed in the office o…

115.349. Time for filing of a declaration of candidacy — form of declaration. — 1. Except as otherwise provided in sections 115.361 to 115.383, no candidate's name shall be printed on any official primary ballot unless the candidate has filed a written declaration of candidacy in…

115.351. Candidate not to file for more than one office. — No person who files as a party candidate for nomination or election to an office shall, without withdrawing, file as another party's candidate or an independent candidate for nomination or election to the office for the s…

115.353. Declarations of candidacy, where filed. — All declarations of candidacy shall be filed as follows: (1) For presidential elector, United States senator, representative in Congress, statewide office, circuit judge not subject to the provisions of Article V, Section 25 of t…

115.355. Declarations of candidacy to be filed in person by candidate, exceptions. — 1. Except as provided in subsections 2 and 5 of this section and in section 115.377, each declaration of candidacy for nomination in a primary election shall be filed by the candidate in person i…

115.357. Filing fees — declaration of inability to pay, form of. — 1. Except as provided in subsections 3 and 4 of this section, each candidate for federal, state or county office shall, before filing his or her declaration of candidacy, pay to the treasurer of the state or count…

115.359. Withdrawal of candidacy, deadline for, how made. — 1. Any person who has filed a declaration of candidacy for nomination and who wishes to withdraw as a candidate shall, not later than the eleventh Tuesday prior to the primary election, file a written, sworn statement of…

115.361. Filing to be reopened, when — death or withdrawal of only candidate to create vacancy on ballot, when — removal of name from ballot, when. — 1. Except as provided in subsections 2 and 3 of this section, if a candidate for nomination to an office in which the candidate is…

115.363. Party nominating committee to select candidate, when. — 1. Except as provided in section 115.361, a party nominating committee of a political party may select a party candidate for nomination to an office on the primary election ballot in the following cases: (1) If ther…

115.364. Previously disqualified candidate not eligible for selection by party nominating committee. — If a candidate has been previously disqualified as a candidate for an office on the primary election ballot, that individual shall not be selected by a party nominating committe…

115.365. Nominating committee designated as to certain offices. — 1. The nominating committee authorized to select a candidate for nomination or election to office pursuant to section 115.363 shall be one of the following: (1) To select a candidate for county office, the nominati…

115.367. Change of district boundaries, effect on nominating committee. — 1. In the event that the boundaries of a district have been altered, or a new district established for a candidate to be selected by a party committee since the last election in which a party candidate ran …

115.369. Notice of vacancy, when given to nominating committee or county committee. — Upon notification of a vacancy authorized to be filled by a nominating committee pursuant to section 115.363, the secretary of state or the election authority shall, not later than twenty-four h…

115.371. Majority of committee present required to nominate, exception. — 1. To select a candidate under the provisions of section 115.363, a majority of the members of the nominating committee must be present. Except as provided in subsection 2 of this section, a member must be …

115.373. Candidates selected by committee to be filed with election authority, when — death of candidate selected by committee, effect of. — 1. The name of a candidate selected by a party nominating committee for a primary or general election to fill a vacancy created by death, w…

115.377. Certification of nomination by committee or committee chairman, form of — candidate's declaration, form of. — 1. Each selection of a candidate made by a party nominating committee pursuant to section 115.363 shall be certified by the chair or acting chair of the nominati…

115.379. Death of candidate after filing deadline and before election, procedure to be followed. — 1. Whenever the only candidate of a party for nomination or election to an office at a primary election, general election or special election to fill a vacancy dies after the filing…

115.381. Secretary of state to notify appropriate election authorities of nomination, when. — Whenever the selections are properly certified to the secretary of state by the chair or acting chair of the party nominating committees for a special election or after the secretary of …

115.383. Name changes on ballot, how made. — Any election authority duly notified that a name is to be removed from the ballot or that a new candidate has been selected shall have the proper corrections made on the ballot before the ballot is delivered to or while it is in the ha…

115.385. Party emblem, when submitted to secretary of state. — 1. Not later than the twelfth Tuesday before an election at which the party's name will appear on the ballot, the state committee of each established statewide political party, the chairman of the county or district c…

115.387. Secretary of state to furnish each election authority a list of candidates for each office and the order of their filing — list, when due. — Not later than the tenth Tuesday before each primary election, the secretary of state shall transmit to each election authority a …

115.389. Election authority to publish list of candidates, date of election and hours the polls will open. — Upon receipt of the certified list from the secretary of state, each election authority shall publish, under the proper party designations, the title of each office, the n…