Early voting is underway for the April 8 general municipal elections in St. Louis, St. Louis County and St. Charles County. We assembled a guide to help voters navigate the polls and their ballots.
Key dates
- March 25: In-person no excuse needed absentee voting begins
- March 26 : Last day to request an absentee ballot by mail
- April 7: Last day to vote absentee in person
- 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 region. Find the polling place closest to you and the wait times on election day by using the polling place lookup tools for St. Louis, St. Louis County and St. Charles County.
Residents in St. Louis can vote early without an excuse at these 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.
Residents in St. Louis County can vote early without an excuse at the St. Louis County Board of Elections, located at 725 Northwest Plaza Drive in St. Ann.
Residents in St. Charles County can vote early without an excuse at the St. Charles County Elections Authority, located at 397 Turner Blvd. in St. Peters.
St. Louis races
In the general election, voters will decide the city’s next mayor, comptroller, members of its Board of Aldermen in odd-numbered wards and Board of Education members.
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 ranked among the most violent in the nation.
But the winner 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 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.
Tishaura Jones
- Mayor Tishaura Jones is running for her second term.
- She said some of 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
- 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.
Both candidates appeared on the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air in a tense debate over a number of issues, including clamping down on crime, managing city services and how to stem population decline in the city.
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.
Darlene Green
- 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 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.
Donna Baringer
- 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 the city’s development agency 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.
St. Louis Board of Aldermen
Voters will select representatives for the Board of Aldermen’s seven odd-numbered wards.
Only two wards had contested primaries in the March 4 primary. Ward 3 candidates Shane Cohn and Dallas Adams and Ward 11 candidates Laura Keys and Rebecca McCloud earned spots on the April ballot.
The city uses a nonpartisan approval voting system for its primary elections, in which the top two vote-getters advance to the general election. If there are fewer than three candidates running for a seat, they automatically advance.
Here’s who voters can expect to see on the general election ballot:
St. Louis Board of Education
Voters will take to the polls on April 8 to vote for three members of the St. Louis Board of Education after Vice President Matt Davis and board member Natalie Vowell announced they would not seek new terms. Board President Toni Cousins is running to defend her seat.
The newly elected leaders will join current board members Emily Hubbard, Donna Jones, Tracy Hykes and Ben Conover.
St. Louis Public Radio spoke with 11 of the 12 candidates running for the Board of Education about why they’re running and key issues facing St. Louis Public Schools:
Key St. Louis County races
Proposition B
Prop B would allow the county council to fire department heads and the county counselor with five out of seven votes. It is facing a lawsuit that may mean it never goes into effect if passed.
St. Louis County Executive Sam Page is a fierce critic of the measure. Page and other Prop B detractors contend that it will tilt the scales of power too much toward the council — and dissuade people from wanting to become department directors.
Councilwoman Shalonda Webb, D-St. Louis County, said Page mischaracterized what the measure could do for county government during his latest State of the County address.
“We need accountability and checks and balances. This is not a power grab,” Webb said. “This is to ensure that county council members are able to interact with the department heads and get the information that they need. If you're working well, and you're doing your job and all these excellent things, you don't have anything to worry about.”
Mayoral races
Chesterfield
Mayor Bob Nation is not seeking a fourth term. Dan Hurt and Derek Grier are running to replace him.
Dan Hurt has been a city council member from 1989 to 2009 and from 2013 to the present and has been elected president pro tempore six times. He says that his 30 years' experience in public service and in the private sector as the owner and operator of St. Louis Pneumatic and Stoner Machining qualifies him to be mayor.
- Derek Grier served on the Chesterfield City Council from 2011 to 2015 and in the Missouri House of Representatives from 2016 to 2022. He is also a real estate broker, an experience he says gives him the tools to support economic development while preserving the character of the community.
Frontenac
- Kate Hatfield was elected mayor of Frontenac in 2019 and is seeking reelection.
- Pat Kilker is challenging Hatfield and has served as Ward 1 alderman since 2022.
Charlack
- Mayor Mark Chamberlain was elected in 2017 and is seeking another term. Prior to that, he served as alderman of Ward 2 for four years.
- Dorris J. Finnegan is a former business adjunct professor at Fontbonne University.
St. Charles County races
Cottleville
Robert Ronkoski has been mayor of Cottleville since 2021. In that time, he says that he has supported new parks, expanded trail systems, business growth and the police department.
Stephen Thompson is challenging Ronkoski. He was elected alderman of Ward 2 in 2021 and is running on a platform of increased public involvement and transparency within local government.
Weldon Spring
- Donald Licklider is running for reelection as the mayor of Weldon Spring. He has held the office since 1997.
- Laura Carpenter-Balding is opposing Licklider. She is a founder of TREE House of Greater St. Louis, an organization that provides equine therapy and recreational activities for individuals with disabilities.
Lake St. Louis
Mayor Jason Law is not running for reelection. Brian McKinney and Tom Mispagel are competing to succeed him.
Brian McKinney is currently city commissioner of Lake St. Louis, a post that he has held since 2021. He says he also has experience serving on multiple community and nonprofit committees.
Tom Mispagel has served as alderman of Ward 2 since 2021. He says he has helped to cut spending and lower property tax rates.
Dardenne Prairie
John Gotway, the current mayor of Dardenne Prairie, is not seeking reelection. Mark Johnson, Keith Widaman and Justin Ungerboeck are running to replace him.
- Mark Johnson has served as one of two aldermen of Ward 3 since 2022.
- Keith Widaman is the other Ward 3 alderman. He was elected in 2023.
Justin Ungerboeck served as alderman of Ward 2 from 2018 to 2024.
Arnold
Arnold’s current mayor, Ron Counts, is running for re-election.
Counts is challenged by four candidates: Doris Borgelt, William Moritz, Brett Keller, and Tyler Baechle.
Ron Counts has held the office since 2009, and is the retired owner and operator of Counts Auto Body.
- Borgelt is a realtor and served as city councilwoman for Ward 1 from 2011 to 2013.
- Moritz is a retired engineer. He serves on City Council representing Ward 2, a position he was elected to in 2023 and previously held from 2007 to 2013.
- Keller is a real-estate investor.
- Baechle is a teacher at Firm Foundations Christian Academy.
Franklin County
Incumbent Cozy Bailey is running for re-election as mayor of St. Clair.
- Bailey has held the office since 2021 and says that during her time in office, she has supported improvements for city parks, streets and housing development.
- Brad Dulworth is challenging Bailey. He is the husband of Ward 2 Alderwoman Chris Dulworth. He says that his management experience in the private sector makes him qualified to oversee city operations.
This story has been updated.
