Absentee Voting Information

Use the Ballot Status webpage to see if your voted absentee ballot has been received in our office.

Registered Missouri voters who expect to be prevented from going to their polling place on Election Day may vote an absentee ballot either in-person or by mail beginning six (6) weeks prior to an election.

Reasons for Voting Absentee

By law, absentee voters must provide one of the following reasons for voting absentee:

• Absence on Election Day from the jurisdiction of the election authority in which I am registered;
• Incapacity or confinement due to illness or physical disability on election day, including caring for a person who is incapacitated or confined due to illness or physical disability and resides at the same address (No Notary Required);
• Religious belief or practice;
• Employment as an election authority, by an election authority at a location other than my polling place, as a first responder, as a health care worker, or as a member of law enforcement;
• Incarceration, provided all qualifications for voting are retained; or
• Certified participation in the address confidentiality program established under sections 589.660 to 589.681 RSMo. because of safety concerns.

In-Person Absentee Voting

Voters can cast an absentee ballot at the Office of the County Clerk at either of the following locations:

Main Office – Jackson, MO
County Administration Building
#1 Barton Square, 3rd Floor
Jackson, MO 63755

Satellite Office – Cape Girardeau, MO
2311 Bloomfield Rd., Suite 102
Cape Girardeau, MO 63703

Office Hours

Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (open through the lunch hour)
2nd Wednesday prior to the election until 5:00 p.m.
Saturday immediately preceding Election Day 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Monday prior to the election until 5:00 p.m. – Last Day to Vote Absentee In-Person

No-Excuse Absentee Voting

Any voter may cast an absentee ballot in-person beginning the 2nd Tuesday prior to Election Day.  No excuse or reason is required.

By Mail Absentee Voting

Voters can request a ballot to be mailed to them by completing the Request for Absentee Ballot form below. The request will be processed and a ballot will be mailed at the request of the voter. A return envelope and directions for voting the ballot are provided.

• Request for Absentee Ballot by Voter (submit directly online)
• Request for Absentee Ballot by Voter (fill and print form)
  

A signature is required on an absentee ballot request, by law.

Relatives within the second degree (spouse, parent, child, etc.) may request an absentee ballot on behalf of a voter who wishes to vote absentee, but the request must be made by the relative in-person in the County Clerk’s Office only.

(Military and/or Overseas voters may request and receive an absentee ballot online by logging in to the Military and Overseas Voting Access Portal or by email by submitting a Federal Post Card Application to the County Clerk’s Office.)

Send Absentee Ballot Request forms to:
By Mail: Cape Girardeau County Clerk’s Office
1 Barton Square, Suite 301
Jackson, MO 63755
By Fax: (573) 204-2418
By Email: voting@capecounty.us

Requests for absentee ballots to be mailed must be received in the Office of the County Clerk by 5:00 p.m. the 2nd Wednesday immediately preceding an election.

Permanently Disabled List

Any voter with a permanent disability can request to be placed on the permanent disabled list. Upon returning a completed application, the voter will automatically 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 the application and send back to the election authority. After receipt of the signed application, the voter will be mailed 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.

Request to be on Permanently Disabled Absentee List

Hospital Voting, Care Facility Voting, Skilled Nursing Facility Voting
If a registered voter becomes confined due to illness or injury after 5:00 p.m. on the Wednesday immediately preceding an election, you may contact our office and arrange for a team of bipartisan Election Judges to deliver an absentee ballot to the hospital, care facility, or skilled nursing facility where the voter is located.