Modifies provisions relating to rejected absentee ballots

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Modifies provisions relating to rejected absentee ballots

The following summaries of this bill are available: Print All Summaries Introduced Print SB 1174 - Under current law, if the statements on any absentee ballot envelope have not been completed, the ballot must be rejected.

What This Bill Does

• The following summaries of this bill are available: Print All Summaries Introduced Print SB 1174 - Under current law, if the statements on any absentee ballot envelope have not been completed, the ballot must be rejected.
• This act stipulates that a ballot shall also be rejected if the: • Voter has failed to sign the oath; • Signature on the envelope does not appear to be valid; • Oath has failed to be verified; • Absentee ballot has been rejected for any other reason provided by law; or • Voter is otherwise found disqualified to vote.
• If one of the foregoing has been found by the election authority then the ballot shall be rejected and the election authority shall write "Rejected" on the face of the envelope and give the reason.
• The election authority must promptly notify any voter if his or her absentee ballot has been rejected and the deadline and procedures for curing the defect for which the ballot was rejected.

Limits and Unknowns

• This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Official Summary Text

The following summaries of this bill are available:

Print All Summaries

Introduced

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SB 1174 - Under current law, if the statements on any absentee ballot envelope have not been completed, the ballot must be rejected. This act stipulates that a ballot shall also be rejected if the:
• Voter has failed to sign the oath;
• Signature on the envelope does not appear to be valid;
• Oath has failed to be verified;
• Absentee ballot has been rejected for any other reason provided by law; or
• Voter is otherwise found disqualified to vote.

If one of the foregoing has been found by the election authority then the ballot shall be rejected and the election authority shall write "Rejected" on the face of the envelope and give the reason.

The election authority must promptly notify any voter if his or her absentee ballot has been rejected and the deadline and procedures for curing the defect for which the ballot was rejected.

This act is identical to SB 408 (2025), SB 1345 (2024) and HB 2404 (2024), substantially similar to SB 149 (2023), HB 864 (2023), SB 900 (2022), and SB 266 (2021) and similar to SB 210 (2023) and HB 1184 (2023).
SCOTT SVAGERA

Current Bill Text

SECOND REGULAR SESSION
SENATE BILL NO. 1174
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR MOSLEY .
3813S.01I KRISTINA MARTIN, Secretary
AN ACT
To repeal section 115.295, RSMo, and to enact in lieu thereof one new section relating to rejected
absentee ballots.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Section 115.295, RSMo, is repealed and one new 1
section enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as section 115.295, 2
to read as follows:3
115.295. 1. As each absentee ballot is received by 1
the election authority, the election authority shall 2
indicate its receipt on the list. 3
2. (1) If the statements on any ballot envelope have 4
not been completed, the voter has failed to sign the oath, 5
the signature does not appear to be valid, the oath has not 6
been verified as provided by law, the absentee ballot has 7
been rejected for any other reason provided by law, or if 8
the voter is otherwise found disqualified to vote, the 9
absentee ballot in the envelope shall be rejected and the 10
election authority shall write across the face of the 11
envelope "Rejected", giving the reason therefor. 12
(2) The election authority shall promptly notify the 13
voter of such rejection, the procedure for curing the 14
ballot, and the deadline for curing the ballot. A copy of 15
the notification shall be retained in the files of the 16
election authority for at least two years. 17
SB 1174 2
(3) A voter notified that his or her ballot was 18
rejected shall have until the end of the period for 19
verifying provisional ballots as provided by law to cure the 20
ballot. 21
(4) The voter may cure a failure to complete a 22
statement on the ballot envelope, to sign the oath, an 23
invalid signature, or to have the signature verified in the 24
manner provided by law by submitting an affidavit to the 25
election authority, along with a copy of one of the forms of 26
identification required by law, before the deadline. The 27
affidavit shall affirm that the ballot was submitted by the 28
voter, is the voter's ballot, and that the voter is 29
registered and qualified to vote in the election in question. 30
(5) Provided that the voter is qualified to vote or 31
has cured any disqualification as provided by law for voters 32
casting provisional ballots, if the election authority finds 33
the affidavit and identification to be sufficient, the 34
absentee ballot shall be counted. 35
3. All ballot envelopes received by the election 36
authority shall be kept together in a safe place and shall 37
not be opened except as provided in this subchapter. 38
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