If you need an absentee ballot for the Aug. 4 primary elections, you must request one from the Cole County Clerk's Office before Wednesday.
Voters who wish to request an absentee ballot may do so on the clerk's website at colecounty.org/222/Absentee-Ballot-Request, or by calling the clerk's office at 573-634-9101.
Absentee voting will run through Aug. 3. Ballots must be returned to the clerk's office by 7 p.m. on Election Day to be counted, according to the office.
Voters can also visit the clerk's office to cast a ballot and ask questions at the Cole County Courthouse Annex, located at 311 E. High St., Room 201.
Mailed-in ballots and requests for an absentee ballot should be mailed to the Cole County Clerk's Office at 311 E. High St., Room 201, Jefferson City, MO 65101.
No excuse absentee voting will begin Tuesday and run through Aug. 3, the last day before the primary. Voters can cast a no-excuse absentee ballot from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. in the clerk's office, each weekday before the primary. The office will stay open until 5 p.m. on Aug. 3.
Voters can also cast their ballot on the Saturday before the election, Aug. 1, at the clerk's office. The office will be open from 8 a.m.-noon to accommodate early-bird voters.
Cole County voters will have a few primaries to pick from in their local elections. While no local Democrat candidates are in contested primaries, the Republican races for presiding county commissioner, county clerk and Division III circuit judge will be contested.
Voters will choose between state Sen. Mike Bernskoetter and local chiropractic physician Dr. Paul Dupuis for presiding commissioner to replace Sam Bushman, who will leave the seat after three terms. No Democrats are running for presiding commissioner, so the winner of the Republican primary will be the de facto winner of the November general election.
Jefferson City Councilman Jeff Ahlers will square off with state Rep. Dave Griffith for the Cole County clerk position. The winner of the primary will also be unopposed in November and will replace Steve Korsmeyer, who has served as clerk since 2014.
The lone challenged incumbent, Circuit Judge Cotton Walker, will seek to keep his seat against competition from Assistant Missouri Attorney General Jeff Suddy.
Incumbent county officials who will run for reelection unopposed are Judge Daniel Green, Judge Joseph Shetler, Circuit Clerk Mark Eichholz, Recorder of Deeds Judy Ridgeway, Prosecutor Locke Thompson, Collector Larry Vincent and Auditor Jay Moore.
Several controversial constitutional amendments, including provisions to phase out the state's income tax and make the initiative petition process more difficult, will appear down-ballot. Voters will also decide whether they will extend Jefferson City's municipal half-cent Capital Improvement Sales Tax for another 10 years.