Absentee Voting 

Absentee ballot applications are available here. Fill out the application and mail it to the County Clerk's Office, #1 Barton Square Suite 301, Jackson MO 63755.  


Absentee Voter Eligibility

Any voter may vote an absentee ballot if they expect to be prevented from going to the polls to vote on election day due to one of the following reasons:     

• Absence on Election Day from the jurisdiction of the election authority in which such voter is registered to vote;
• Incapacity or confinement due to illness or physical disability, including a person who is primarily responsible for the physical care of a person who is incapacitated or confined due to illness or disability;
• Religious belief or practice;
• Employment as an election authority, as a member of an election authority, or by an election authority at a location other than such voter's polling place;
• Incarceration, provided all qualifications for voting are retained.  

Absentee Ballot Availability

Absentee ballots are available to be voted in the County Clerk’s Office in Cape Girardeau and Jackson 6 weeks prior to the date of any election. Office hours are Monday thru Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Both offices are open the Wednesday prior until 5:00 pm, the Saturday preceding any election from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm, and the Monday before until 5 pm. RSMO 115.281

Absentee Ballot Requests

Voters can request absentee ballots from the County Clerk’s Office in person, by mail, or by fax. Relatives within the second degree may complete an absentee ballot application, in person, on behalf of the voter who wishes to vote absentee to be mailed to the voter. Mail requests to #1 Barton Square Suite 301, Jackson, MO 63755. Fax requests to (573) 204-2418. No application received to be mailed after 5:00 pm on the Wednesday immediately prior to the election will be accepted and no application to vote in person after 5:00 pm on the day before the election will be accepted unless the applicant is a new resident, an intrastate new resident, or an interstate former resident as defined in section 115.275. Or unless a voter is hospitalized after 5 pm on the Wednesday immediately preceding the election, in which case you may call the office to make arrangement for the staff to deliver an absentee ballot to the hospital the voter is located in. If the ballot is mailed to a voter the ballot shall be returned in the ballot envelope provided and shall only be returned by the voter in person, or in person by a relative within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity, by mail or registered carrier. Voted absentee ballots must be received in the County Clerk’s Office by 7 p.m. on Election Day. RSMO 115.279, 115.287.


Voters requesting an absentee ballot by mail who have registered by mail and have not voted in person are required to submit a copy of their personal identification unless they provided a copy with their registration application.  Examples of acceptable identification are:

• Identification issued by the state of Missouri, an agency of the state, or a local election authority of the state; 
• Identification issued by the United States government or agency thereof;
• Identification issued by an institution of higher education, including a university, college, vocational and technical school, located within the state of Missouri;  
• A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document that contains the name and address of the voter;
• Driver’s license or state identification card issued by another state; or
• Other identification approved by the secretary of state under rules promulgated pursuant to subsection 3 of this section other identification approved by federal law. 

The ballot envelope must be notarized before returning it to the Election Authority except under the following circumstances:

        1. If you are or are caring for a person who is incapacitated or confined due to illness or disability.
        2. Residing outside the boundaries of the United States.
        3. On active duty with the armed forces of the United Sdtates or members of their immediate family living with them. 

Permanently Disabled List

Any voter with a permanent disability can request an application to be on the permanent disabled list. Upon receipt of this application the voter will receive, in the mail, an application prior to each election in which they are eligible to vote. If the voter decides they wish to vote in that election, they sign and send the application back to the election authority. Then the voter will be sent an absentee ballot. Voters on this list remain on this list until they ask to be removed, become disqualified, or no longer reside at the address of registration. RSMO 115.284.