How to vote on November 3rd

Am I in District 149?

Missouri House District 149 covers Mississippi County, New Madrid County, and the northern part of Pemiscot County.

We are not publishing a list of towns. The three county election authorities have not published a precinct-by-precinct map of this district, and guessing at a boundary is the kind of mistake that sends somebody to the wrong ballot. The surest way to know is to look yourself up — your ballot will list your State Representative district.

Register to vote

You can register in Missouri if you are a U.S. citizen, a Missouri resident, and at least 17½ years old — you must be 18 to vote.

You can register four ways: online, by printing and mailing a form, in person at your county clerk's office or the license bureau, or by requesting a form by mail (allow 3–5 business days for it to arrive).

The deadline to register for the November 3, 2026 election is Wednesday, October 7, 2026. A mailed form must be postmarked by that date. An in-person registration must be received by the close of business that day.

Key dates

The easiest way to vote early

If you'd rather not stand in line on Election Day, the simplest route in Missouri is to vote in person at your county clerk's office starting Tuesday, October 20. You don't need to give a reason and you don't need a notary. Bring a photo ID.

Days and hours inside that window are set by each county, and no Missouri law requires weekend hours. Call your clerk before you drive.

Voting absentee by mail is more complicated. Before October 20 you need one of six accepted reasons, and the ballot envelope generally has to be notarized — with exceptions for voters with an illness or physical disability, incarcerated voters who keep the right to vote, permanently disabled voters, and covered military and overseas voters. If you need to vote by mail, start early and call your clerk.

The six accepted reasons for excuse-based absentee voting are:

1. You'll be away from your county on Election Day.
2. Illness or physical disability keeps you from the polls — including if you're caring for someone in that situation.
3. Religious belief or practice.
4. You're working as an election authority worker or a first responder.
5. You're incarcerated but have retained the right to vote.
6. You're a participant in an address confidentiality program.

If you vote by mail, read this twice

Two things about mailed ballots catch people out every election, and both of them cost a vote.

Received, not postmarked. Your voted ballot has to be in the election authority's hands by 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3. A ballot mailed on November 2 that arrives on November 4 does not count. If it's getting close, take it in person instead.

There are no drop boxes in Missouri, and a neighbor can't drop it off for you. A voted mail ballot may be returned by the voter in person, by a relative within the second degree in person, by mail or registered carrier, or by a deputy team from the election authority. That's the whole list.

If you are at all unsure, call your county clerk's office and ask. That is exactly what they are there for.

Photo ID

To vote in person in Missouri you need a photo ID. Any of these works:

• A nonexpired Missouri driver's license
• A nonexpired or nonexpiring Missouri nondriver license
• A photo document issued by the United States or the State of Missouri that is not expired, or expired after the date of the most recent general election
• A photo ID issued by the Missouri National Guard, the United States Armed Forces or the Department of Veterans Affairs

That is the whole list.

If you get to the polls without one, do not leave. A registered voter may cast a provisional ballot. It counts if you come back to that same polling place with an acceptable ID before 7:00 p.m. that day, or if the election authority matches your signature to the one on file.

If you don't have a photo ID at all, Missouri will give you one free. The Department of Revenue provides one nondriver license at no charge to anyone who needs a photo ID for voting and doesn't already have one — ask at any Missouri license office. The state will also pay for a birth certificate, marriage license, name-change order or naturalization papers if you need them to get the ID. Do this well before October, not the week of the election.

Your county clerk

Your county clerk's office is the election authority. They can tell you whether you're registered, where your polling place is, whether you're in District 149, and how to vote early or absentee.

Call before you mail anything. Published mailing addresses for these offices don't all agree — some state rosters list a P.O. box that the county's own site doesn't — and a ballot request sent to the wrong address is a ballot you never get. The street addresses and phone numbers below are current; use the phone first.

What else is on your ballot

There's more on your ballot on November 3rd than the race for State Representative. There's a constitutional amendment — Amendment 7 — and I think you're entitled to know how I'd vote on it before you vote on me.

Other measures share the November ballot; this page covers the one John is asked about most. The Secretary of State publishes the full official text of all of them, and I'd rather you read that than take my word for it.

Other places to get help

• Missouri Secretary of State — elections
• Go Vote Missouri
• Check your registration and polling place
• Register online
• Missouri voter-ID help — (866) 868-3245
• Find a Missouri license office (for a free nondriver license)
• Election Protection hotline (nonpartisan) — 1-866-OUR-VOTE
• Vote411 — candidate information from the League of Women Voters

Please register, and please vote. At the back-to-school bash last month we talked to so many people who needed to register. It's important.

And when you get there, I'm asking for your vote for State Representative in District 149. I appreciate it. God bless you.