Absentee voting

Whether they'll be able to hinges greatly on where they live and what changes, if any, local lawmakers are willing to make.

Missouri's election officials have tried for years to get rid of the state's excuse system for absentee balloting. While nothing is assured, they say 2021 may be the year when the idea gains momentum.

Missouri isn't Pennsylvania when it comes to processing absentee ballots. But that doesn't mean elections officials here are against the idea of extending the five-day window for preparing absentee ballots to be counted.

A record-breaking 628,000 Missourians have already voted either by absentee or mail-in ballots. But casting the ballot is only the first part. Election authorities still need to process the vote for it to count.

Some voting rights advocates say St. Louis-area election authorities aren’t doing enough to accommodate absentee voters with physical disabilities.

It’s a small slice of the almost 5,000 absentee or mail-in ballots rejected, but advocates say even one uncounted vote is too many. Under this year's new mail-in voting option, voters have to have their ballot envelope notarized.

As Election Day nears, advocates say they'll be on the watch for voter intimidation and other issues that may affect voters of color. We have a breakdown of the issues here, as well as resources voters can use.

Election authorities are busy processing those absentee and mail-in ballots and preparing for what could be record-breaking voter turnout. More than 100,000 Missouri voters have already cast a ballot through early voting.

The Missouri Supreme Court has rejected efforts by voting rights groups to make it easier to vote by mail because of the coronavirus pandemic.

With the 2020 presidential election less than a month away, St. Louis Public Radio correspondent Jason Rosenbaum breaks down the differences between absentee and mail-in voting, shares the deadlines to apply for either method and discusses why sending materials ASAP is the best way to make sure that your ballot counts.