Voting with a disability, and getting help at the polls
Bring someone to help you
If you cannot read or write, are blind, or have another physical disability, and cannot vote your ballot on your own, you can bring a person to help you vote.[1][2] Your helper does not have to be 18 or a registered voter.[1]
- You tell the election judges, under oath, why you need help.[2]
- Your helper goes into the booth with you and marks your ballot the way you say.[2]
- A helper can help only one voter in each election, unless they are an election judge or a member of your immediate family.[2]
Get help from election judges
You can ask the election judges for help instead.[2] Two judges from different parties go to the booth with you and mark your ballot the way you say.[2][1]
If you only need instructions, two judges from different parties will explain.[2] Then they leave so you can vote in private.[2]
Other ways to vote
- You may be able to vote curbside, outside the polling place.[1] Every polling place must have accessible voting equipment.[1] See Accessible voting and curbside voting.
- You can vote absentee if you are sick or have a physical disability.[4] You can also vote absentee if you are the main person who gives physical care to someone at your address who is.[4] See Absentee and early in-person voting.
Permanent disability list
If you have a permanent disability, you can ask your election board to put you on its permanent absentee list.[3][1]
- Your election board then sends you an absentee ballot application before each election you can vote in.[3]
- Return the application by 5 p.m. on the second Wednesday before the election to get your ballot.[3] For November 3, 2026, that deadline was Wednesday, October 21.[3]
- You do not need a notary for your ballot envelope.[5]
- The list is kept private.[3]
City voters download the City Board's Permanently Disabled Voter Application and mail it to the Board of Election Commissioners, 300 N. Tucker Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63101.[9] Questions? Call 314-622-3230 or 314-622-3319.[9]
Help with an absentee ballot
If you are blind, cannot read or write English, or have a physical disability that keeps you from marking your ballot, a person you choose can help you with your absentee ballot.[7]
If you become sick or go into a care facility
This applies if, after the request deadline, you:[6]
- went into a hospital where you vote (St. Louis County, or the City of St. Louis for City voters),[6]
- became confined because of illness or injury, or[6]
- will be in a nursing or care facility there on Election Day.[6]
Your election board sends a team to help you apply and vote.[6] The team is two registered voters, one from each major party.[6] In St. Louis County, call 314-615-1800.[8] In the City, call the City Board's absentee office at 314-622-3230 or 314-622-3319.[10]
Sources
- Missouri Secretary of State, On Election Day questions
- Missouri Revised Statutes, Section 115.445 (privacy and help in the voting booth)
- Missouri Revised Statutes, Section 115.284 (absentee voting for voters with permanent disabilities)
- Missouri Revised Statutes, Section 115.277 (who may vote absentee)
- Missouri Revised Statutes, Section 115.283 (absentee ballot statements and notaries)
- Missouri Revised Statutes, Section 115.287 (absentee ballots for voters in the hospital or a care facility)
- Missouri Revised Statutes, Section 115.291 (help with an absentee ballot)
- St. Louis County Board of Elections, Polling Place Lookup (November 3, 2026)
- St. Louis City Board of Election Commissioners, Request a Permanently Disabled Voter Application
- St. Louis City Board of Election Commissioners, Vote By Absentee Ballot
Last checked against these sources on October 21, 2026.