Missouri voters who contract or face higher health risks from contracting COVID-19 will be able to vote absentee in this year's elections, after Gov. Mike Parson signed a Senate bill into law Thursday.
For the purposes of the law, at-risk voters include those who are 65 or older, live in a licensed long-term care facility, are immunocompromised or have chronic lung disease, moderate to severe asthma, serious heart conditions, diabetes, liver disease or chronic kidney disease requiring dialysis.
Parson said he supported SB 631 becoming law because it contains measures to prevent voter fraud and ballot harvesting.
"Under SB 631, a mail-in absentee ballot will only be an option for voters who specifically request one. To prevent voter fraud and ballot harvesting, voters must also submit a notarized statement under penalty of perjury with their ballot. Ballots must be returned and received in an envelope postmarked by U.S. Mail by 7 p.m. on election day," according to a news release from Parson's office that announced the governor's signature on the bill.
"By requiring a signature verification, this provision reduces the opportunity for individuals to fraudulently cast another voter's ballot and provides a safe, secure and legal way for Missourians to vote during the pandemic," the news release added.
"We are not against voting by mail for people who have a reason. Our current law allows for that, and this bill allows for that," Parson said in the news release.
"What we are against, and what President Trump is against, is voting absentee without a reason and without a signature verification. That is a non-secure way to handle voting absentee, as is ballot harvesting. Signing SB 631 ensures this will not happen in the state of Missouri," Parson added.
SB 631 also includes a provision to give voters who have contracted or face high risk from contracting COVID-19 the option to case an absentee ballot without notarization.
Both provisions of the law expire Dec. 31, 2020. The full text of the bill and more accompanying legislative information is available at senate.mo.gov/20info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&BillID=26837998.