The 2024 General and State Elections will be held on Nov. 5. Political parties are hosting their final debates and sharing their final policy comments on disaster relief, immigration and abortion rights. Amendments in the Constitution grant United States citizens the right to vote.
The deadline to register to vote in the 2024 General Election in Missouri was Oct. 9. If a voter has not registered to vote, they will not be able to cast their ballot by mail or in person on Nov. 5.
Absentee ballots are an exception to this deadline, as mail-in or faxed absentee ballot requests must be received by an election authority no later than 5 p.m. on Oct. 23. Voters can vote absentee in the office of the local election authority until 5 p.m. the night before the election.
There is a measurable difference in voter turnout between populations. Notably, the 18 to 24-year-old demographic has a lower turnout than those aged 30-79 years.
“Once someone votes, it becomes [a] habit,” Robynn Kuhlmann, professor of political science at the University of Central Missouri, said. “What we see are two things. We have historically seen younger folks 18 to 30-year-olds not voting, and not being involved in politics. We have older populations of course, who are frequent flyers through the polls and through their ballot.”
Many believe the importance of voting changes from person to person and generation to generation.
“A lot of people discount voting because we live in a politically defined state,” sophomore and political science major Jonathan Crispin said. “Voting is still one of the most central parts of democracy. There are many countries where people can’t vote. It’s a national holiday, but many people don’t get it off. There is not just the president or the main top ticket. There are senate races and local ballots. It’s one of the only ways you have left to use your voice.”
Without information about political parties and upcoming policies, voting for who and what is on the ballot can be challenging. State and federal resources are available online for voters.
“Go to Ballotpedia.org and type in your zip code, and it’ll summarize people on the ballot. These are the initiatives, petitions and propositions of whatever state you live in. So you can study that ahead of time and try to figure out which way you want to vote,” Gregory Streich, professor of political science and department chair of government, law and international affairs at UCM, said.
