JEFFERSON CITY — Missourians casting mail-in ballots must mail them via the U.S. Postal Service under a federal court ruling issued Thursday.
The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals stayed a district court ruling that would have allowed voters to return their mail ballots in person.
The ruling came as voting is underway heading toward the Nov. 3 election. Mail-in ballots must be received by Election Day in order to count.
Amid concerns about voting during the coronavirus pandemic, Missouri lawmakers in the spring approved a plan expanding vote-by-mail options to more voters. One provision of the law prohibits dropping the ballot off in person.
The new law includes an exception allowing “at-risk” people such as the elderly, those with certain health conditions and those living in long-term care facilities to vote absentee without ballot envelopes being notarized.
U.S. District Judge Brian Wimes earlier issued a temporary restraining order allowing voters to return mail-in ballots in person, saying any harm or cost to the secretary of state’s office was minimal, “especially when weighed against the risk of total disenfranchisement of Missouri voters.”