Saint Joseph, Missouri Public Records

Registration must be completed 28 days before an election, sometimes called the fourth Wednesday deadline. In-person registration at the Election Authority office and mail-in registration are also available. The state requires identification to vote, accepting government-issued photo ID, utility bills, bank statements, or other documents showing name and address. As a third-class city, Saint Joseph holds municipal elections for mayor and city council on a staggered basis during April general municipal elections in odd-numbered years. The next mayoral election is scheduled for April 2025, with several council seats also on the ballot. Candidates for city office file with the Saint Joseph City Clerk. Voters can locate their assigned polling place using the online tool at https://voteroutreach.sos.mo.gov/portal or by contacting the Election Authority. In the November 2024 presidential election, the county recorded approximately 33,000 ballots cast with turnout around 63% of registered voters, matching northwest Missouri's typically strong participation rates. Looking ahead to the November 3, 2026 general election, local voters will decide several significant races. Missouri does not have a U.S. Senate seat up that year, but state-level races will include all 163 Missouri House of Representatives seats - the city is represented in Districts 1 and 15 - and half of the 34 Missouri State Senate seats, with District 12 serving the area. County offices on the 2026 ballot include County Commission seats, Sheriff, Prosecuting Attorney, Recorder of Deeds, County Clerk, Assessor, and other positions elected to four-year terms. Voters will also decide state judicial retention questions and any statewide ballot measures proposed through initiative petitions or legislative referral. Missouri offers absentee voting for voters absent on Election Day, those incapacitated or confined due to illness, caregivers for incapacitated individuals, those with conflicting religious beliefs or practices, election authority employees, and incarcerated but eligible voters. Absentee ballot applications are available through the Election Authority and must be submitted by 5:00 PM the second Wednesday before the election. The state also provides no-excuse mail-in voting, allowing any registered voter to request a mail-in ballot without providing a reason. Election records that are public include voter registration lists (available for purchase for election related purposes), campaign finance reports filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission (searchable at https://mec.mo.gov), candidate filings and financial disclosure statements, precinct-level election results, and polling place information. The Election Authority provides unofficial results on election night and certified results following canvass, all accessible through their website and the Missouri Secretary of State's election results portal.