Possible ballot reprint could cost Missouri counties thousands

A Mid-Missouri election official said millions of dollars might need to be spend statewide to reprint November ballots.

Across the state, county clerks are scrambling to come up with more money to print new ballots, something that many offices said they just don’t have the money for.

“Most of the counties have printed ballots right now, and we’re going to have to have the ballots reprinted and to do that it’s going to cost us an additional $30,000 to $40,000,” said Cole County Clerk Marvin Register.

Representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union challenged Amendment 6, saying the language on the ballot was not descriptive enough and voters deserved a correct description.

“There was a lawsuit pending with one of the amendments, amendment 6, that we have to add a sentence to our already printed ballots,” said Register.

The sentence reads, “Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to permit voting in person or by mail for a period of six business days prior to and including the Wednesday before the election day in general elections, but only if the legislature and the governor appropriate and disperse funds to pay for the increased costs of such voting?”

Although Register is excited for the November elections, he said adding this one sentence is causing a major setback.

“On Friday, we’re supposed to be sending our ballots to the military and who knows now what it’s going to take and when we’re going to get our ballots,” said Register.

County officials said the money that will have to be used to pay for the new ballots will have to come from general funding because they said the County Clerk’s office just doesn’t have the money to print new ballots.