Missouri 2026 elections

Contests on the board in Missouri

The general-election contests the Ledger tracks in Missouri, each with the raters' current call, the newest public polling and the money reported.

Candidate profiles from Missouri

MO-5 · Missouri

Rick Brattin

Missouri state senator, former state representative and Cass County auditor, the 2026 Republican nominee against Emanuel Cleaver in Missouri’s 5th District.

Read Rick Brattin's recordThe race

Key dates and deadlines

Read from the Missouri Secretary of State on Sep 17, 2026. The authority's own page, linked beside each date, is the final word — confirm it before you act.

• Voter registration deadlineOctober 7, 2026, for the November 3, 2026 General Election — the “Last Day to Register to Vote” on the Secretary of State's “2026 Missouri Election Calendar” (the fourth Wednesday before the election). The Secretary of State's FAQ says the deadline for new voter registration applications is the fourth Wednesday prior to an election; a voter who has moved within the same county may change the registration address on Election Day at the new polling place or the central polling location. The entries below show how the deadline is measured by mail and in person. sos.mo.gov
• Registration by mailPostmarked by October 7, 2026. The Secretary of State's Register to Vote page says a mailed voter registration form must be postmarked by the fourth Wednesday before the election. sos.mo.gov
• Registration in personOctober 7, 2026. The Secretary of State's FAQ says you need to be registered by the deadline shown on its election calendar, or by the normal close of business of any public building where registration is allowed, whichever is later, on the fourth Wednesday prior to the election; the page prints no clock time. You can register in person at your local election authority's office, a driver's licensing office, designated state agencies or a library, and must present a form of personal identification. sos.mo.gov
• Absentee voting period beginsSeptember 22, 2026 — the sixth Tuesday before the November 3, 2026 election. The Secretary of State prints this as a rule, not as a calendar date: the absentee voting period begins on the sixth Tuesday before the date of the election. Before October 20, 2026, in-person absentee voters must give one of the reasons the state lists; a voter who requests a ballot to return by mail must give a reason at any time. sos.mo.gov
• Early voting (no-excuse absentee voting in person) startsOctober 20, 2026 — the second Tuesday before the November 3, 2026 election. The Secretary of State prints this as a rule, not as a calendar date: from the second Tuesday before an election to the day before the election, you may vote a no-excuse absentee ballot in person at a location designated by your local election authority. With one of the state's listed reasons, in-person absentee voting is available from September 22, 2026. sos.mo.gov
• Early voting (in-person absentee voting) endsNovember 2, 2026, 5:00 p.m. — the day before the election. The Secretary of State says voters can vote absentee in the office of the local election authority until 5:00 p.m. the night before the election. sos.mo.gov
• Deadline to request an absentee ballot by mailOctober 21, 2026, 5:00 p.m. — the second Wednesday before the November 3, 2026 election. A mailed or faxed request must be received by your local election authority by then. The Secretary of State prints this as a rule, not as a calendar date. It is the deadline to request a ballot, not to return it. sos.mo.gov
• Deadline to return an absentee ballotReceived by your local election authority by the close of polls on Election Day, November 3, 2026 (polls close at 7:00 p.m.). The ballot must be received, not just postmarked, by then. Military and overseas voters have a separate deadline, shown in the next entry. sos.mo.gov
• Election DayTuesday, November 3, 2026. sos.mo.gov
• Polling place hours6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Election Day, November 3, 2026. Voters in line at 7:00 p.m. will be allowed to vote. sos.mo.gov
• Military and overseas voters: deadline to return an absentee ballotReceived by your local election authority no later than 12:00 p.m. CST on the Friday following the election — November 6, 2026, for the November 3, 2026 election. The Secretary of State prints this as a rule, not as a calendar date, and says absentee ballots are available to military and overseas voters 46 days before an election. sos.mo.gov

Official voting tools

These links go to the state's own tools. The Ledger does not collect registrations or ballots.

Rules to know

• What to bring

  To vote in person, show one of these forms of photo identification and sign the poll book: a nonexpired Missouri driver or non-driver license; a nonexpired military ID, including a veteran's ID card; a nonexpired United States passport; or another photo ID issued by the United States or the state of Missouri that is either not expired or expired after the date of the most recent general election. A registered voter who has none of these may cast a provisional ballot; it counts if the voter returns to the polling place on Election Day with a photo ID, or if the local election authority determines that the signature on the provisional ballot envelope matches the signature on the voter registration record. The Missouri Department of Revenue provides one non-driver license at no charge to Missourians who need a photo ID for voting purposes and do not already have one; for help, call the Secretary of State toll free at (866) 868-3245. Read from: sos.mo.gov

• Voting absentee by mail

  Missouri requires a reason to vote absentee by mail. The Secretary of State lists six: absence on Election Day from the jurisdiction where you are registered; incapacity or confinement due to illness or physical disability, or primary care of such a person at the same address; religious belief or practice; work for an election authority away from your polling place, or as a first responder, health care worker or member of law enforcement; incarceration, with voting qualifications retained; and certified participation in the address confidentiality program. Request the ballot from your local election authority — in person, by mail, by fax or by e-mail — not from the Secretary of State's office. A mailed or faxed request must be received by 5:00 p.m. on October 21, 2026; the voted ballot must be received by the election authority by the close of polls on November 3, 2026. The page says the notary requirement for absentee ballots does not apply to overseas voters, those on active military duty and immediate family living with them, or voters who are permanently disabled and their caregivers. Read from: sos.mo.gov

• Early voting (no-excuse absentee voting in person)

  Missouri's early voting is no-excuse absentee voting in person. From the second Tuesday before the election to the day before it — October 20 through November 2, 2026 — you may vote an absentee ballot in person, without giving a reason, at a location designated by your local election authority; voting at the election authority's office ends at 5:00 p.m. on November 2. Before October 20, in-person absentee voting requires one of the state's listed reasons. When voting an absentee ballot in person, you must show an acceptable form of photo ID. The Secretary of State's site has a county-by-county finder for local election authorities. Read from: sos.mo.gov

• Accessible voting

  Voters with limited mobility can vote “curbside,” outside the polling place: go to your polling place and ask someone to go in and ask poll workers to bring a ballot out to you. Every polling place must have an accessible voting system for individuals with disabilities, with an audio ballot or the ability to enlarge the on-screen text. A voter with a permanent physical disability may ask to be placed on a list so that the local election authority automatically mails an absentee ballot application before each election. Read from: sos.mo.gov

• Voting after a felony conviction

  The Secretary of State's FAQ says that, upon completion of your sentence and probation or parole, you are eligible to vote in elections. To vote, a person cannot be imprisoned or be on probation or parole after conviction of a felony. Individuals who have been convicted of an election offense, whether a felony or misdemeanor, are not allowed to vote. Read from: sos.mo.gov

On the statewide ballot

Offices on the November 3, 2026 statewide ballot, per the Missouri Secretary of State:

State Auditor · Missouri Supreme Court (judicial retention)

Questions and answers