How to vote · 2026

Missouri

Mail voting requires an excuse

Every date below comes from the Missouri election office and links to the page that states it. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

Deadlines move. Courts and legislatures were still changing 2026 rules as this page was compiled (last reviewed September 1, 2026). Confirm anything that affects your vote with the Missouri election office ↗.

Dates and rules

Registration, mail ballots, and early voting

Registration deadlineOctober 7, 2026Register online, in person, or by mail (postmarked) by Oct. 7, 2026 (fourth Wednesday before). No same-day registration.

Mail-ballot request deadlineOctober 21, 2026

Mail ballots first sentSeptember 22, 2026Mail absentee voting requires a qualifying excuse. Absentee voting (including mailing of ballots to approved applicants) begins six weeks before Election Day, on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026 (Mo. Rev. Stat. 115.302). Mail applications must be received by 5 p.m. Oct. 21 (second Wednesday before).

Return ruleMust be received by close of polls (7 p.m.) on Election Day

Early in-person votingOctober 20, 2026through November 2, 2026 · No-excuse in-person absentee voting at election-authority offices during the final two weeks (Oct. 20-Nov. 2, 2026); excuse-based in-person absentee from Sept. 22.

Official MO election site ↗Dates last verified against the official site September 1, 2026.Sources: [1] Greene County (Mo.) election authority: absentee voting for the Nov. 3, 2026 general begins Sept. 22, 2026; no-excuse period opens Oct. 20 [2] USA.gov directory of official state election offices [3] Excuse-required mail voting Sept. 22-Nov. 3, 2026 [4] CEIR 2026 voter registration deadlines (June 25, 2026 dataset; per-mode deadlines and same-day registration windows)[5] NCSL Table 7: statutory rule for when absentee/mail ballots are mailed [6] NCSL Table 5: statutory absentee ballot application deadline [7] NCSL Table 11 (updated Dec. 2025): ballot receipt/postmark deadline

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The full table of mail-ballot send dates, registration deadlines, and early-voting windows for all fifty states and DC, plus the documented record of government actions on mail voting this cycle.

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