Know Your Voting Rights: Vote at Home
Any Missouri voter who is not able to vote at the polls because of an illness or physical disability can vote at home through an absentee ballot.
Missouri voters with permanent disabilities can join the “Permanently Disabled Voting List,” which allows them to vote at home for every election.
What is the “Permanently Disabled Voting List”?
Missouri law mandates that registered voters with a permanent disability must be allowed to join the “Permanently Disabled Voting List” so they can vote at home.
The law defines a permanent disability as “incapacity or confinement due to illness or physical disability.”
To join the list, you must contact your local election authority and ask to be placed on the “Permanently Disabled Voting List.” Once you are placed of the list, you will stay on the list unless you:
Ask to be removed from the list,
Become ineligible to vote,
Are not living at the address on your voter registration, or
Pass away
How do I join the “Permanently Disabled Voting List”?
If you want to vote at home for every election, you must first join the “Permanently Disabled Voting List.”
To join the list, you must notify your local election authority of your permanent disability status. You can call the election authority, or you can download and print the “Permanently Disabled” Absentee Ballot Application form below. Mail the completed form to your local election authority.
Please note that this form will open as a PDF in a new window. If you need help using this form or notifying your local election authority of your permanent disability status, contact the Mo P&A Application Unit.
This form was developed by Mo P&A to help make sure Election Authorities:
Process requests to be placed on the “Permanently Disabled Voting List,” and
Send applications for Absentee Ballots to individuals on that list.
The Election Authority must receive this form no later than six weeks before election day. If the Election Authority receives this form later than this, you may not be placed on the “Permanently Disabled Voting List” for that upcoming election. This means you may not be able to vote at home for that election, but you would be able to vote at home for future elections.
How do I vote at home once I am on the “Permanently Disabled Voting List”?
You still need to request an Absentee Ballot for every election even after you are on the “Permanently Disabled Voting List.” However, this process will be easier as a “permanently disabled” voter on this list.
Requesting the Absentee Ballot
As a “permanently disabled” voter, you will receive a Request for Absentee Ballot form in the mail for every election.
You must fill out and return the Request for Absentee Ballot form to the local Election Authority. They must receive this form by 5:00 p.m. on the Wednesday before election day.
Completing the Absentee Ballot
Once your local Election Authority receives your Request for Absentee Ballot form, they will mail you the Absentee Ballot.
You must fill out and turn in your Absentee Ballot before the polls close on election day. You can turn in your Absentee Ballot by mailing it or bringing it to your local Election Authority.
You do not need to notarize your Absentee Ballot or provide a copy of personal identification (such as a Missouri driver license) if you are a “permanently disabled” voter or a primary caregiver of a person with a disability. The Voter ID and notary requirements do not apply to voters who are “permanently disabled” or their caregivers.
What are my options if I am not on the “Permanently Disabled Voting List”?
Even if you are not on the “Permanently Disabled Voting List,” you can request an Absentee Ballot for a specific election if you have a “permanent disability.”
People with a “Safe at Home” address and primary caregivers of a person with a disability can also request to vote by Absentee Ballot for a specific election.
To request an Absentee Ballot for an upcoming election, you can download and print the Request for Missouri Absentee Ballot form below.
You may be required submit a copy of your personal identification with your absentee ballot application if:
You registered to vote by mail or online,
You requested an absentee ballot by mail, and
You have not voted in-person in a previous election.
Acceptable forms of personal identification are:
A non-expired Missouri driver license, or non-drive license;
A non-expired military ID, including a veteran’s ID card;
A non-expired United States passport; or
Another photo ID issued by the United States or the State of Missouri, which either expired after the date of the most recent general election or is not expired.
The Voter ID requirements do not apply to voters who are “permanently disabled” or their caregivers.
Return the completed form to your local Election Authority by email, mail, or fax. You can also fill out a request for an Absentee Ballot in-person at your local Election Authority.
The Election Authority must receive your completed form by 5:00 p.m. on the second Wednesday before the election.