Missouri Democratic presidential preference primary will be held Saturday morning
On Saturday, Missourians will have the opportunity to vote in the Democratic presidential preference primary, which will hold in-person voting in various locations across the state.
Although President Joe Biden already has enough delegates to be the party’s nominee, this primary presents an opportunity for Missourians to make their preferences known.
A 2022 rule change by the Missouri General Assembly abolished the state-run presidential preference primaries, which is why Missouri Republicans have already held their candidate nominating event — the county level caucuses on March 2.
Former President Donald Trump won in every county caucus across the state, and now has enough delegates to earn the Republican Party’s nomination as its presidential candidate.
With both Trump and Biden having enough delegates to be their parties’ presumptive presidential candidate, voters are in for a repeat of the matchup in the 2020 presidential election.
More: MO Republicans choose Donald Trump as presidential candidate in county level caucuses
How to participate in Saturday’s primary
The Missouri Democratic Party has multiple polling locations for in-person voting in its presidential preference primary on March 23.
In-person voting will take place from 8 a.m. until noon on Saturday. Mail-in ballots that have been requested online, but not yet returned by mail, can be brought to any in-person polling location during the available hours.
All ballots must be returned by 10 a.m. March 23 in order to be counted. Alternatively, anyone with an unreturned mail-in ballot is welcome to come to in-person polling places to vote with a traditional ballot, rather than returning the mail-in ballot. Only one ballot may be cast per voter.
Here are a few of the polling locations:
Audrain County: Audrain County Courthouse, 101 N. Jefferson St., Mexico
Boone County: ARC Activity and Recreation Center, 1701 W. Ash St., Columbia
Callaway County: Callaway Electric Cooperative, 1313 Cooperative Drive, Fulton
Christian County: Resource Management Building, 1106 W. Jackson St., Ozark
Cole County: IBEW, Local 2, 209 Flora Dr., Jefferson City
Cooper County: Cooper County Courthouse, 513 High St., Boonville
Greene County: Teamsters Local 245 Event Hall, 1850 E. Division St., Springfield
Howard County: Howard County Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Square, Fayette
Lawrence County: Lawrence County Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Square, Mt. Vernon
Moniteau County: Moniteau County Democrats Office, 317 S. Oak St., California
Polk County: Polk County Courthouse Annex, 102 E Jackson St., Bolivar
Taney County: Taney County Courthouse - Commissioner's Room, 132 David St., Forsyth
For other counties not listed here, consult the full list on the Missouri Democratic Party’s website. There are in-person voting locations in 85 of Missouri’s 114 counties plus the City of St. Louis, but those wishing to cast their vote in person in a county without a polling location may do so in any county they choose, provided they are registered to vote in Missouri.
Eligible candidates in the Democratic election include:
Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
Dean Philips
Stephen P. Lyons
Armando Perez-Serrato
Marianne Williamson
Jason Michael Palmer
Uncommitted
Write-ins will not be allowed in this election, pursuant to party rules. Although still listed on the ballot, Dean Philips has suspended his presidential campaign.
In a change of course from earlier guidance, participants will not be required to affiliate themselves with the Democratic Party. However, voters seeking to participate cannot be affiliated with the Republican Party. Party affiliation is registered with the Missouri Secretary of State or a local election authority.
According to the Missouri Democratic Party, “votes will be counted in St. Louis by March 25, with the announcement to be made by March 28, 2024.”
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: What to know about Missouri Democratic presidential preference primary
