Skip to main content

Your rights at the polls

When you vote

  • Vote if you are in line at 7 p.m. Everyone in line when the polls close can vote.[1][9]
  • Vote in private. No one else may be in the booth or watch how you vote, unless you ask for help.[2] A parent, grandparent or guardian may bring a child under 18 into the booth.[2]
  • Get help. If you cannot read or write, are blind, or have a physical disability, and cannot vote your ballot on your own, you can get help from a person you choose or from two election judges.[2] See Voting with a disability, and getting help at the polls.
  • Get instructions. Two election judges from different parties will explain how to vote.[2]
  • Get a new ballot. If you make a mistake, give the ballot back and get a new one.[3]
  • Vote a provisional ballot. If there is a question about your registration or ID, you can vote a provisional ballot.[4][5] See Provisional ballots.

Time off work to vote

You can take up to three hours off work to vote on Election Day.[6]

  • Ask your employer before Election Day.[6]
  • Your employer may choose which three hours, while the polls are open.[6]
  • Your employer may not fire you, punish you or cut your pay for it, if you vote.[6]
  • This does not apply if you already have three hours in a row off work while the polls are open.[6]

No campaigning near the door

On Election Day and during absentee voting, people may not campaign or hand out campaign papers inside the building, or within 25 feet of the door closest to the polling place.[7] The county board can make that distance 50 feet if it posts notice six weeks ahead.[7]

It is a crime to interfere with a voter inside a polling place.[7]

If something goes wrong

  • Call the St. Louis County Board of Elections at 314-615-1800.[10]
  • You can file a complaint with the Missouri Secretary of State.[8] Call the Elections Complaint line at 800-669-8683.[8]
  • The complaint form is on the Secretary of State's Elections Integrity page.[8]

Sources

  1. Missouri Revised Statutes, Section 115.407 (polling hours)
  2. Missouri Revised Statutes, Section 115.445 (privacy and help in the voting booth)
  3. Missouri Revised Statutes, Section 115.439 (marking a paper ballot and getting a new one)
  4. Missouri Revised Statutes, Section 115.430 (provisional ballots)
  5. Missouri Revised Statutes, Section 115.427 (photo ID)
  6. Missouri Revised Statutes, Section 115.639 (time off work to vote)
  7. Missouri Revised Statutes, Section 115.637 (election offenses)
  8. Missouri Secretary of State, Elections Integrity (complaints)
  9. Missouri Secretary of State, How to Vote
  10. St. Louis County Board of Elections, Polling Place Lookup (November 3, 2026)

Last checked against these sources on October 21, 2026.