Early voting is underway in St. Louis for the primary municipal election. Voters will decide which candidates will run for mayor in April’s general election and who will become the city’s next comptroller. Residents in the 3rd and 11th wards also will select who will face off to represent them on the Board of Aldermen.
Key dates
- Feb. 18: In-person, no-excuse-needed absentee voting begins
- Feb. 19: Last day to request an absentee ballot by mail
- March 3: Last day to vote absentee in person
- March 4: Primary election
- April 8: General election
Do I need a voter ID?
In Missouri, you need a valid, unexpired photo ID to vote. Acceptable photo identification includes:
- • Missouri driver’s license or state ID
- • U.S. passport
- • Military photo ID, including a veteran’s ID card
You can get a free photo ID at any Missouri Department of Revenue office or by calling 573-526-VOTE (8683).
If you don’t have an ID when you’re at your polling location, you can fill out a provisional ballot. Should you cast a provisional ballot, you will receive instructions on how to verify your vote was counted.
Where to vote
Polling places include schools, libraries and recreational centers across the city. Find the polling place closest to you and the wait times on election day, by using the polling place lookup tool.
Residents can also vote early without an excuse at these following locations:
- • Buder Library, 4401 Hampton Ave.
- • Carpenter Branch Library, 3309 S. Grand Ave.
- • Divoll Library, 234 N. Grand Blvd.
- • Kingshighway Branch Library, 2260 S. Vandeventer Ave.
- • Schlafly Library, 225 N. Euclid Ave.
- • St. Louis City Election Board, 300 N. Tucker Blvd.
- • Walnut Park Library, 5760 W. Florissant Ave.
What is approval voting?
In 2020, voters in St. Louis approved Proposition D. The charter change eliminated partisan elections for mayor, comptroller, president of the Board of Aldermen and other board members. Instead, candidates for those offices file as independents, which requires them to gather a certain number of signatures.
Proposition D also implemented approval voting. In the March primary, voters can choose none, some or all of the candidates running for an office. The top two then advance to the general election in April.
In 2023, Mayor Tishaura Jones signed legislation that eliminated the need for a primary election when two or fewer candidates file for an office.
Approval voting is not the same as ranked-choice voting. Ranked-choice voting gives voters the opportunity to demonstrate the strength of their support for each candidate by selecting them first, second, third, etc. Approval voting simply allows a voter to say they like a certain number of candidates.
This voting system is not the general practice for other areas in Missouri.
In the 2024 general election, Missouri voters passed a constitutional provision that prevents ranked-choice voting, but the amendment granted an exception to cities already using ranked-choice voting in nonpartisan municipal elections, which includes the City of St. Louis’ approval voting system.
Candidates for mayor
The next mayor of St. Louis will come into office with crime numbers mirroring the national downward trend — good news for a city that is often among the most violent in the nation.
But he or she will also face a lot of challenges, including:
- Uncertainty over the city’s financial picture due to higher-than-expected payouts of refunds for earnings tax that people paid while working remotely during COVID-19.
- Questions about whether the city will receive promised federal funds from the Trump administration.
- A declining population, especially in north St. Louis.
Michael Butler
- Campaign website
- Michael Butler has been the city's recorder of deeds for six years. He has been a state representative, was the head of the Missouri Democratic Party and owned a bar in the Grove.
- He said he has expanded the office’s online services and centralized the pickup of vital records such as birth certificates.
- Butler said his administration will concentrate on improving three areas: schools, housing options and public safety.
- He said some of the $290 million in Rams settlement money should go to the city’s central business district, but the focus should be on housing.
Tishaura Jones
- Campaign website
- Mayor Tishaura Jones is running for a second term.
- She said her accomplishments include the city’s lower crime statistics, appropriating the city’s $500 million share of the American Rescue Plan Act funds by the deadline and upgrading the city’s accounting system.
- Jones’ office has come under scrutiny for the way it awarded grants to small businesses on the north side, the city’s winter storm response and some of her trips outside the city.
Cara Spencer
- Campaign website
- Cara Spencer represents the 8th Ward on the Board of Aldermen.
- This is her second bid for St. Louis mayor.
- Her critiques of the Jones administration include the city's response to January's snowstorm, street maintenance and overflowing trash bins.
- She said she plans to build a more transparent government and allocate funds for economically distressed areas in the city.
Andrew Jones
- Campaign website
- Andrew Jones is a retired utility executive who is making his third bid for St. Louis mayor.
- Jones said he is using his own money for the campaign.
- He touts his experience in business, saying he is someone who can put together and implement an economic development plan.
- Jones expressed doubts about the city’s lower crime numbers and critiqued the city’s response to an early January snowstorm and the initial Board of Aldermen proposals on how to use the money from the Rams settlement.
Each of the four candidates recently participated in a forum, organized by Harris-Stowe State University and 100 Black Men of Metropolitan St. Louis, to make their case to residents. They answered questions about their stances on grant distribution, police control and Metrolink expansion.
Here are some takeaways:
Comptroller
The St. Louis comptroller is responsible for the financial and accounting functions for the city, which includes overseeing the city’s budget, distributing federal grants, auditing the city’s spending and more.
Donna Baringer
- Campaign website
- Donna Baringer served on the budget committee as an alderwoman from south St. Louis. As a state representative, she became the highest-ranking Democrat on the chamber’s Fiscal Review Committee.
- She critiqued the comptroller’s office for its handling of federal ARPA funds.
- She said the comptroller’s office should have been more proactive in its risk assessment for how the St. Louis Development Corporation was distributing money for grants to small businesses in north St. Louis.
- She pledges to surround herself with experts to help her avoid blind spots before she votes on policy decisions, citing the kerfuffle over the city’s purchase of nine electric Ford Mustangs to reduce the carbon footprint of its vehicle fleet.
Darlene Green
- Campaign website
- Darlene Green has been comptroller for 30 years and is seeking an eighth full term in the office.
- She said that under her leadership, St. Louis has been able to build up a rainy day fund of more than $150 million, which contributes to a higher credit rating.
- She said she's the only candidate with enough experience for the job.
- Among the critiques of her leadership include the police union accusing her of failing to collect dues owed to the organization.
Celeste Metcalf
- Campaign website
- Celeste Metcalf is a certified public accountant and first-time politician.
- In 2009, Missouri tapped her to oversee its $525 million allocation from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the stimulus package designed to help the economy find its footing after the 2008 financial crash.
- She believes the city should consider developing focal points along the Mississippi River and investing in high-speed rail.
- She also thinks St. Louis should consider new sources of revenue in order to get rid of the 1% earnings tax.
Alderman - Ward 3
Shane Cohn
- Campaign website
- Shane Cohn is seeking his sixth term representing the 3rd Ward. He has a professional background in human resources.
- He said his experience at City Hall makes him best equipped to address the needs of the 3rd Ward, which he said mirrors that of the rest of the city — public safety, economic development and basic city services.
- Although Cohn frequently runs unopposed for reelection, he said he always makes sure to go out to campaign and connect with voters.
Dallas Adams
- Campaign website
- Dallas Adams resigned from her job as communications director of Great Rivers Greenway to run for office.
- She’s touted her history working closely with several nonprofits in the Dutchtown neighborhood, including Dutchtown Main Street, the neighborhood’s Community Improvement District and the Thomas Dunn Learning Center.
- Adams said the 3rd Ward needs someone who will focus on reducing vacancy and blight.
Inez Bordeaux
- Campaign website
- Inez Bordeaux is a nurse, a community organizer and the elected Democratic committeewoman of the 3rd Ward since August 2024. If elected, she will have to resign her committee post.
- Bordeaux pledges to focus on eliminating poverty. Most other concerns, like public safety, are generally reduced if people can afford to live, she said.
- She said the current Board of Aldermen lacks “imagination” when it comes to tackling complex issues.
Alderman - Ward 11
Melinda Long
- Campaign website
- Melinda Long is a block captain and has been involved with her neighborhood association. She was briefly the alderwoman of the old 21st Ward before being recalled in 2003.
- Long said she will focus on marketing the 11th Ward to businesses. She also wants to improve housing and education.
- Long said her background in English taught her to do research and will enable her to understand how legislation will impact the ward.
Rebecca McCloud
- Campaign website
- Rebecca McCloud has a professional background in insurance sales and works for Spectrum.
- She said her priority as alderwoman will be to bring development to north St. Louis, which she called a “gem.”
- She would also tackle community mental health to address the trauma that impacts neighborhoods in the 11th Ward.
- McCloud said she has the relationships on both the local and state levels to work for her constituents.
Laura Keys
- Campaign website
- Laura Keys is the alderwoman for the 11th Ward. She was also the longtime Democratic committeewoman of the former 21st Ward.
- Development is a priority for Keys, but she said the city first needs to focus on stabilizing or tearing down old buildings and cleaning up vacant lots to “make the place ready to receive” development.
- Keys said her work as an active participant in government — “not just a spectator” — means she is in the best position to bring development to all parts of the ward.
