The last City Council election was held on April 5th, 2022. Bridgeton Ward 1 only had 276 votes cast. In 2021, we only had 234 votes cast. We can do better than that! However, I know voting can be tough. I am not a lawyer but I wanted to share some research I have done around the Missouri laws that might apply to you if you want to vote but do not know how to fit it into your schedule. I am a huge fan of democracy so even if you are voting for somebody else, I hope the information here can assist you.
Registering to Vote:
Please visit this website to see if you are able to register to vote. https://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/goVoteMissouri/votingrights
If you meet the qualification to register to vote you can go many places to register. The easiest place in Bridgeton might be the Bridgeton Trails County Library. You can also submit your registration online by going to this website https://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/goVoteMissouri/register. For more information, please go to this website to see a detailed FAQ https://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/goVoteMissouri/votereg.
Voting Early
Did you know that you can vote up to two weeks early in Missouri for any reason? As long as you have an ID you can vote up to two weeks early with a “no-excuse absentee ballot in person at a location designated by your local election authority.” We are extremely lucky that the St. Louis County local election authority is at Northwest Plaza. If you want to vote early you just need to go to 725 Northwest Plaza Drive, St. Ann MO 63074 weekdays between 8AM and 4:30PM or on Saturday between 9AM and 1PM. Remember, early voting starts March 21st. For more information please go to this website https://stlouiscovotes.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/nearby/index.html?appid=cff24c85a5824d9cb42a333671066cf7.
Checking Your Voter Registration
To check your voter registration, please go to this website and enter your information https://s1.sos.mo.gov/elections/voterlookup.
Where Can You Vote?
You can vote at any poll location in Saint Louis County! Personally, I like going to the Bridgeton Community Center! If you would like to see polling places around you this website will show them as it gets closer to the election. https://voteroutreach.sos.mo.gov/PRD/VoterOutreach/VOSearch.aspx.
Does Your Employer Need to Provide Time Off to Vote?
This one is a bit hard, and I am not a lawyer. I will provide links and my understanding of the law.
The current Missouri Election Laws can be found here in a PDF https://www.sos.mo.gov/CMSImages/ElectionGoVoteMissouri/CurrentElectionLawBook.pdf.
If you scroll down to section 115.639 you will see text saying
“1. Any person entitled to vote at any election held within this state shall, on the day of such elec-
tion, be entitled to absent himself from any services or employment in which he is then engaged
or employed, for a period of three hours between the time of opening and the time of closing the
polls for the purpose of voting, and any such absence for such purpose shall not be reason for the
discharge of or the threat to discharge any such person from such services or employment; and
such employee, if he votes, shall not, because of so absenting himself, be liable to any penalty or
discipline, nor shall any deduction be made on account of such absence from his usual salary or
wages; provided, however, that request shall be made for such leave of absence prior to the day
of election, and provided further, that this section shall not apply to a voter on the day of election
if there are three successive hours while the polls are open in which he is not in the service of
149 ELECTION OFFENSES §115.639his employer. The employer may specify any three hours between the time of opening and the
time of closing the polls during which such employee may absent himself.
2. Any employer violating this section shall be deemed guilty of a class four election offense”
My understanding of this law is that as long as you request time off to vote from your employer prior to the election they must give you three paid consecutive hours off to vote. This law will only apply if you do not already have 3 consecutive hours off to vote. Since polls open at 6AM and close at 7PM if you work 8AM to 5PM, like I do, your employer will legally be obligated to allow you time off to vote. This is true for anyone who starts before 9AM AND is off after 4PM.
Please remember that this is not legal advice, and I am not a lawyer. I do love democracy, though, and I think it is important that Americans know their rights! Section 115.642 explains how to file a complaint against your employer if they deny you your right to vote.
It should also be noted that you can only vote during this time window. If it only takes you ten minutes to drive to the polling place, ten minutes to vote, and ten minutes to drive back to your place of work, that is all you are allowed to do. You cannot just run the clock for the additional 2.5 hours.