Voter registration ends for August election
Voter registration closed on Wednesday for new voters seeking to take part in the Aug. 8 special election.
In Boone County, voters will get to decide whether or not to renew the county’s sales tax for road and bridge repairs.
Voters in the southern part of the county, including south Columbia and Ashland, will vote on a new state representative to replace Caleb Jones. Sara Walsh, a Republican, and Michaela Skelton, a Democrat, are running for the seat. The district also includes parts of Cole and Moniteau counties. Jones vacated the seat to become Gov. Eric Greitens’ deputy chief of staff.
The special election will be mid-Missouri’s first test of the new voter identification law. Voters approved the measure in November, which requires people to prove their identity before casting a ballot.
The Boone County Clerk’s website lists the different ways voters can meet the new law. Showing a valid driver’s license, non-driver’s ID, military ID or passport will satisfy the law. Voters can also bring other forms of identification, like a student ID or utility bill, and sign a statement at their polling place.
Voters without an ID can request a free one from the state’s Secretary of State’s Office. That office will work the the Department of Revenue to get a non-driver’s ID. Those without a form of ID, but are registered to vote, can request a provisional ballot for this August’s election. Your signature has to match the one on file for your voter registration to cast a ballot this way.
Maura Browning with the Secretary of State’s Office told ABC 17 News they are in the process of helping 11 people get a valid non-driver’s ID.
The new system was put to the test in St. Louis on Tuesday in a special election for its Board of Aldermen. Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft said 1,912 people voted in the election, with 1,744 of them using a driver’s license to prove their identity. About six percent, or 126 voters, used their voter registration card and a signed affidavit at their polling place. Three people voted with a provisional ballot.
(Editor’s note, 7/13: This story contains updated information from the Secretary of State’s Office. It also clarifies that the office helps people obtain a non-driver’s license through the Department of Revenue.)
