Missouri Policy Spotlight: Elections
By: Dr. Tomotaroh Granzier-Nakajima
Missouri lawmakers debated several elections issues during the 2022 regular session.
General Assembly members introduced almost 150 elections-related bills this year. During the last week of session, lawmakers passed redistricting bill (HB 2909), which used 2020 census data to re-draw Missouri’s eight Congressional districts.
Several bills aimed at changing the initiative petition and ballot referendum process (HB 1859, HJR 79, HJR 91) also moved through the legislative process, although none of these bills were passed before session adjourned.
Only one elections bill made it to the Governor’s desk before session ended — House Bill 1878. This bill includes several provisions which:
- Require photo identification for regular and absentee ballots
- Establish no-excuse absentee voting for two weeks prior to an election
- Authorize the Secretary of State to audit voter registration lists
- Prohibit the use of mail-in ballots by executive or administrative order
- Require the use of paper ballots
- Require those registering to vote to declare a political party affiliation or declare themselves unaffiliated
- Remove residence requirements for board of election commissioners and county clerk employees
- Prohibit payment for soliciting voter registration applications
- Remove the requirement that the election for a presidential primary be held on the second Tuesday after the first Monday in March of each presidential election year
Now that the bill has been sent to Governor Parson, he has three options: (1) sign the bill, (2) veto the bill, or (3) not sign the bill. If he vetoes the bill, the General Assembly can vote to override the veto during veto session in September. If he signs the bill or takes no action, the bill will go into effect in August.
Need a refresher on how a bill becomes a law in Missouri? Click here >>
MOST Policy Initiative published research on several elections topics in 2022.
For the past two years, MOST Policy Fellows have provided nonpartisan research information to members of the Missouri General Assembly upon request. These “Science Notes” are intended for informational purposes and do not indicate support or opposition to a particular bill or policy approach.
Our Science Note on Voter Fraud found that while cases of voter fraud have been documented, overall estimated and observed rates of voter fraud are very low.
Research Highlight: The psychological effects of winning an election and messaging by political leaders may alter voter confidence and public perceptions of voter fraud beyond its demonstrated occurrence.
Another Science Note on Voter ID Laws found that they do not decrease real instances or perceptions of voter fraud, while research shows mixed results on their impact on voter turnout.
Research Highlight: Research has shown that minority voters are disproportionately asked to show voter ID due to uneven implementation of voter ID laws by poll workers.
Our Absentee Voting Science Note found that no-excuse absentee voting can increase voter turnout by about 2% with little to no effect on partisan turnout.
Research Highlight: Thirty-four states in the US offer absentee voting with no excuse requirement or automatically send mail-in ballots to all registered voters.
Want to learn more about the research behind election policies? Visit our entire collection of election Notes in our Science Note Database.
