Supreme Court of Missouri
Missouri State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. State of Missouri
October 9, 2020
Summary
The Court affirmed judgment for the State, holding that voters who voluntarily remain home to avoid contracting or spreading COVID-19 do not qualify under the existing illness-based absentee-voting provision for ballots without notarization. It also held that Missouri's Constitution makes voting fundamental but does not make absentee or mail-in voting fundamental, allowing the legislature to impose notarization requirements on those voting away from the polls. The Court declined to address additional statutory-misapplication allegations because the plaintiffs requested no relief on them.