Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 2, 2023

CONTACT: press@securedemocracyusa.org

NEW POLL: Missouri voters strongly support opportunity to fix minor ballot envelope errors, other measures to increase election transparency


JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missourians of every age group and across the political spectrum overwhelmingly believe voters should have the opportunity to correct minor errors with their ballot envelope to ensure their vote is counted. According to a new poll conducted by Cygnal Polling & Analytics and commissioned by the nonpartisan election policy group Secure Democracy USA, support for additional measures to make Missouri elections more transparent and accessible is strong.

Key findings from the poll of Missouri voters include:

  • 72 percent of Missouri voters support being able to fix minor mistakes on one's ballot, such as a missing signature or date, to ensure their vote is counted. Such support includes 63 percent of Republicans and 77 percent of Independents. More than 30 states currently have such a system in place, including Florida, Texas, and Kansas.

  • 84 percent of Missouri voters support allowing voters to track their absentee ballot. Such impressive support spans party affiliation, gender, education, and age group. Today, Missouri is one of just four states that do not allow voters to track the status of their absentee ballot online.

  • Missouri voters support allowing local election officials to process ballots when their office receives them by a 4:1 margin. Sixty-seven percent of Missouri voters support ballot pre-processing, including 65 percent of Republicans. Current rules bar local election officials from processing absentee ballots until five days before Election Day.

  • A majority (58 percent) of Missouri voters support restoring voting eligibility to those convicted of a felony upon their release from incarceration. More than 20 states, including Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Utah, ensure that freedom to vote mirrors that freedom to participate in society upon one's release from prison.

"Missouri voters strongly support measures to increase transparency and make our elections work better for everyone, period," said Diego Echeverri, advocacy director at Secure Democracy USA. "Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle should take notice and take action to strengthen Missouri's elections with improvements that provide voters with peace of mind and prevent legal ballots from being tossed out for honest mistakes. With strong constituent support, the opportunity to work with trusted local election officials, and a long runway before our next elections in 2024, there's no better time to upgrade Missouri elections than right now."

Conducted by Cygnal Polling & Analytics, the poll surveyed 500 likely general election voters between January 16-18, 2023 with a margin of error of ±4.34%. Known registered voters were interviewed via live phone, text- to-web, email-to-web, each tied back to the voter file. This survey was weighted to a likely general election voter universe in Missouri, and commissioned by Secure Democracy USA.

To view the full poll memo and results, click here.