SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Absentee voting for the April 7, 2026, Municipal Elections begins today, Tuesday, Feb. 24, for voters who cannot be at their regular polling place on election day, Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller says.
The ballot in Greene County includes a question for the City of Springfield asking voters if the city should raise the hotel tax by 3% to help fund a new convention center. There are also elections in Battlefield, Republic, Strafford, Willard, Ash Grove, Fair Grove, Walnut Grove and multiple other school and fire districts across the county.
Schoeller says voters can cast an absentee ballot for the following reasons:
- Absence on Election Day from the jurisdiction of the election authority in which such voter is registered to vote;
- Incapacity or confinement due to illness or physical disability on Election Day, including aperson who is primarily responsible for the physical care of a person who is incapacitated orconfined due to illness or disability and resides at the same address;
- Religious belief or practice;
- Employment as an election authority or by an election authority at a location other than such voter’s polling place, a first responder, a health care worker, or a member of law enforcement;
- Incarceration, provided all qualifications for voting are retained;
- Certified participation in the address confidentiality program established under RSMo 589.660 to 589.681 because of safety concerns.
In-person absentee voting will take place at the Greene County Elections Center, located at 1126 N. Boonville Ave. in Springfield, from Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. until the day before the election. Voters must also present one of the following forms of photo ID to vote in-person absentee:
- A non-expired Missouri driver’s or non-driver’s license;
- A nonexpired military ID, including a veteran’s ID card;
- A non-expired United States passport;
- Another photo ID issued by the United States or the state of Missouri, which is either not expired or expired after the date of the most recent general election.
Voters can also vote absentee by mail by submitting a handwritten request or completing the form on vote.greenecountymo.gov. Requests must be signed by the voters and recieved in the County Clerk’s Office by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25. Mailed ballots have to be voted, notarized, returned by mail and received in the County Clerk’s Office before 7 p.m. on Election Day…