The Missouri Voter Protection Coalition Partners sent a letter of policy recommendations to Gov Parson and Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft regarding ensuring our constitutional right to vote during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Below you can review the full recommended Policy Measures to Ensure Voting in Missouri in the Wake of the COVID-19 Crisis, which are aligned with recommendations advanced by the Leadership Conference for Civil and Human Rights, the Brennan Center for Justice and the National Task Force on Election Crises with a particular focus on Missouri election law and administration practices. They include an emphasis on options for expanded mail-in absentee voting, among others. The recommendations include:
I. Expansion of voting by mail, including adoption of no-excuse absentee voting, elimination of the notary requirement for absentee ballots, and options for request and return of absentee ballots. At minimum, absentee voting currently allowed due to illness should explicitly include anyone practicing social distancing or self-quarantine as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.
II. Expansion of options for in-person absentee voting, allowing more citizens to vote over time rather than in a cluster on Election Day.
III. Expansion of voter registration options, particularly online.
IV. Polling place modifications to ensure public safety, and to protect accessibility for voting populations that have traditionally faced barriers to the ballot.
V. Robust voter education.
