County Clerk / Election Authority

The annual Project Homeless Connect will be held Friday, October 5, 2018 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Osage Community Centre in Cape Girardeau.  The event will focus on helping and supporting hundreds of households and individuals that need assistance with basic needs.  The Cape Girardeau County Clerk’s Office will be present to provide voter registration and election information.  There will be many other services and providers available to those that are seeking assistance.

Jackson, MO – On Tuesday, September 25, 2018, the Cape Girardeau County Clerk’s Office and the League of Women Voters of Southeast Missouri will be partnering along with thousands of other election officials and others across the country to celebrate National Voter Registration Day.  Events will focus on nonpartisan voter registration efforts and providing election information to Cape Girardeau County voters.

This year, events will be held on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University with the goal of providing useful information to students. Events will be held from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at the following two locations:

• University Center
• Towers Residence Hall

At these events, students can register to vote, change their address on their voter registration, learn how to cast an absentee ballot, and more.

On National Voter Registration Day, organizations from all over the country “hit the streets” in a single day of coordinated field, technology, and media efforts to create broad awareness of voter registration opportunities and reach voters who may not register otherwise.

National Voter Registration Day has been endorsed by the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS).  It is further supported by the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED).  National Voter Registration Day is held on the fourth Tuesday of September. Visit NationalVoterRegistrationDay.org for more information. 

The deadline for Appeals to the Cape Girardeau County Board of Equalization (BOE) has been extended to Thursday, June 21, 2018.

Pursuant to a court order issued by the Honorable Judge Benjamin F. Lewis, candidate filing for the office of Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney will reopen on Monday, June 11, 2018 at 8:00 a.m. and will continue until Friday, June 15, 2018 at 5:00 p.m.

Persons wishing to file a declaration of candidacy to appear as a candidate for nomination at the August 7, 2018 Primary Election can do so in the County Clerk’s Office located in the County Administration Building at #1 Barton Square, Suite 301, Jackson, Missouri.

For candidates filing for office on the first day of filing, ballot order will be determined by random drawing. Candidates filing after 5:00 p.m. on the opening day of filing will be placed on the ballot in the order in which they file.

How to File
To appear as a candidate for nomination on the primary ballot, candidates for Prosecuting Attorney must do the following at the County Clerk’s office during the filing period:
1. Show identification;
2. Submit a $50.00 filing fee (cash or check) payable to the County Central Committee for the Party in which they are filing;
3. File a Declaration of Candidacy;
4. Complete the Form 5120 Candidate’s Affidavit of Tax Payments for the Department of Revenue; and
5. Complete the Notice to Candidate Personal Financial Disclosure for the Missouri Ethics Commission.

Notice of Office (official)

The contest to select a new “I Voted” sticker in Cape Girardeau County received attention in the ELECTricity newsletter published by the Center for Technology and Civic Life. CTCL is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving civic engagement through the use of technology. The organization provides resources that local governments and election administrators can use to improve communication with voters.

The “I Voted” sticker contest was held in Cape Girardeau County during the fall of 2017. The goal was to obtain a new, unique “I Voted” sticker for Cape Girardeua County Elections while garnering the involvement of local high school students. The new “I Voted” sticker was first used in the April 3, 2018 municipal election and will continue to be used throughout 2018 and 2019.

The ELECTricity newsletter spotlight is available here: https://www.techandciviclife.org/spotlights/2018/3/27/cape-girardeau-county

The candidate filing period for the August 7, 2018 Primary Election will begin at 8:00 a.m. on February 27, 2018.  The Cape Girardeau County Clerk’s Office will accept filings in our office located in the County Administration Building (#1 Barton Square, Suite 301, Jackson, MO) for the following county offices:

• Presiding Commissioner
• Circuit Clerk
• County Clerk
• Recorder of Deeds
• Prosecuting Attorney
• County Auditor
• Collector of Revenue
• Associate Circuit Judge, Division 3
• Associate Circuit Judge, Division 4

Interested individuals are encouraged to review the candidate qualifications on the Cape Girardeau County Clerk’s website (www.capecountyelections.com). Candidates will be asked to show a form of identification and submit a $50 filing fee (cash or check) payable to the County Central Committee for the party in which they are filing.

First day filers will select a number by random drawing to determine placement on the ballot.  After the first day, candidates will be placed on the ballot in the order in which they file.  The filing period ends at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 27, 2018.

The August 7, 2018 Primary Election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate from a political party of their choice that they believe should be nominated as the political party’s candidate for elected office.  Successful candidates in the primary will be placed on the November 6, 2018 General Election ballot as a candidate for election.

Filing will also take place during the same period for political party central committeepersons.  One committeeman and one committeewoman may be elected from each political party for each precinct, township, or ward district.

For any questions or media inquiries, please contact:

Kara Clark Summers, County Clerk/Election Authority, (573)243-3547 or kclark@capecounty.us

Allen Seabaugh, Chief Deputy/Supervisor of Elections, (573)243-3547 or amseabaugh@capecounty.us

Cape Girardeau County, Missouri – The Cape Girardeau County Clerk’s Office will mail new 2018-2019 Voter Identification Cards and Voter Information Guides to Cape Girardeau County registered voters within the next few days in conjunction with canvassing the voter rolls as required by state and federal laws. The 5 ½ x 8 ½ Voter ID cards are perforated to fold to wallet size.

The new Voter Information Guide provides detailed information to assist voters in voting in the upcoming elections.

Missouri’s photo ID requirement for voting started June 1, 2017. In any election after that date, you will be asked to show a non-expired government issued Photo ID such as a Missouri Driver License, Missouri Non-Driver License, Passport, or Military ID before you vote. The back of the Voter Identification Card lists the new identification requirements for voting and explains how to obtain a Photo ID at no cost if you do not possess one and need one to vote.

This new Voter Identification Card replaces all previously issued cards and lists your name, address, polling place, precinct, and the units of government in which you are entitled to vote. Please carefully check your address and spelling of your name on the card and contact us if there are errors. If you have moved or changed your name you must update your voter registration record.

Registered voters in Cape Girardeau County who do not receive a new ID card and voter guide by the first week in February should contact the Office of the County Clerk at (573)243-3547.

The Cape Girardeau  County Clerk’s Office is pleased to announce the public has chosen a new design for the official “I Voted” sticker for Cape Girardeau County Elections.  The winning design will be used as the “I Voted” sticker in all elections held in the county for 2018 and 2019.

The artwork of four finalists was voted on by the public through the online surveying platform, Survey Monkey.  The winning sticker was designed by Lydia Riehn of Jackson High School.  Emily Landewee and Kourtney Ruggeri, of Delta High School, were the first and second runners-up, respectively.

“I want to congratulate the winner and runners-up and say thank you to all students that submitted designs,” said County Clerk Kara Clark Summers. “We hope the contest inspired students to become active in elections and voting when they reach voting age.”

The contest began on September 1, 2017 and was open to all high school students in the County.  This is the first time a contest has been held in Cape Girardeau County to select the “I Voted” sticker.

“It is exciting to have an ‘I Voted’ sticker unique to our County,” said Supervisor of Elections Allen Seabaugh.  “I urge voters to wear their sticker with pride knowing that it was designed by a local high school student.”

After all designs were submitted, the four finalists were selected by a distinguished panel of judges.  Judging was based on the artistic skill, theme, and uniqueness of the design.

For any questions or media inquiries, please contact Allen Seabaugh, Chief Deputy County Clerk/Supervisor of Elections of Cape Girardeau County at (573)204-2416 or amseabaugh@capecounty.us.