In the wake of repeated unproven allegations about voter fraud in the 2020 election, election officials in Kansas and Missouri have been outspoken about measures they are using to conduct free and fair elections.
Election offices have invited the public in to watch them check voting machines. They’ve explained how the machines are not connected to the internet to avoid hacking, and how returns are stored on external, tightly secured flash drives. They’ve even added armed guards to protect polling places and poll workers in the event of unanticipated incidents.
KCUR, in collaboration with our partners at the community engagement initiative America Amplified, prepared this quick guide about how Missouri and Kansas conduct their elections.
Jump down to the Missouri and Kansas FAQs.
For more information about voting procedures in Missouri and Kansas, check out the 2024 KC Voter Guide.
Missouri
How does Missouri ensure voter registration lists are up to date, so that people who are not authorized to vote don’t cast a ballot?
In 2023, Missouri pulled out of a national collaboration known as the Electronic Registration Information Center, or ERIC, which helps states maintain accurate voter roles — by, for example, making note of when people move. Among other things, the system can catch whether someone votes in more than one state.
ERIC had come under attack by conservative groups who claimed ERIC was funded by left-wing causes. In fact, as NPR reports, ERIC has been around since 2013 and operated by a nonprofit voting partnership, and supported by Republican election officials as well as Democrats. (Read more from the Center for Public Integrity.)
Since backing out of ERIC, Missouri has returned to the procedures it used before, as explained on the Secretary of State’s website:
“By law, Missouri's 116 local election authorities must canvass their respective voter rolls every two years, however the list-maintenance process goes far beyond these requirements. Election authorities receive regular reports from other state and federal agencies containing official data on eligible voters, such as voter and motor vehicle registrations, U.S. Postal Service address changes, and Social Security death records. Using these reports, our election authorities are able to keep voter rolls complete and up to date.”
What is Missouri’s deadline for an absentee or mail-in ballot to count?
The deadline for advance, in-person voting in Missouri is 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 4.
Missouri requires mail-in absentee ballots to be received by your local board of elections by 7 p.m., the close of polls, on Election Day, Nov. 5. The ballots are delivered that day and verified by a representative from each major political party.
How does Missouri count ballots?
According to Ballotpedia, Missouri ballots will be counted by a machine with an optical scan as well as counted by hand. Plus, every single voting machine in Missouri is required to produce a paper audit trail, according to the Secretary of State.
Ballots are counted together by a bipartisan team of judges from both major parties.
What security measures are in place to protect the secrecy of the ballot and prevent under/over counting?
Missouri’s efforts to protect the secrecy of the ballot and the integrity of the count is detailed on the Secretary of State’s website. Among the safety precautions:
- Voting machines are not connected to the internet, which prevents hacking.
- The paper trail provides another layer of accountability.
- Local election officials review results before they are certified.
- Once a ballot is checked for accuracy, election equipment is sealed and locked.
How long will it take for Missouri’s election results to become official?
Results will only become official once all the votes are counted, including in-person ballots, absentee ballots, mail-in, military and overseas ballots. This also includes all provisional ballots (those filed by voters without valid ID or signatures, or who vote at the incorrect polling place).
Election officials at the local level audit the results, and a bipartisan “verification board” has two weeks to certify the returns. Election audits are done to make sure the state’s voting system returns match those of paper records.
How do election officials certify the election results?
When polls close, local election officials will report unofficial election results to the public, and if it is a state or federal election, to their respective states. State election offices will aggregate data and report unofficial results for state and federal offices, including president and vice president.
Then, after every valid vote has been included in the final results, and all required processes have been completed, the election results will be certified. Candidates can file a petition in circuit court up to 30 days after the official announcement to challenge the results.
In Missouri, the deadline to certify local elections is Nov. 15, and Nov. 20 for state and federal elections.
Learn more about Missouri's election certification process from The Beacon.
Kansas
What is the deadline for an absentee or mail-in ballot to count in Kansas?
The deadline for advance, in-person voting in Kansas is 12 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 4.
Advance, mail-in ballots must be postmarked by Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, and received by your local election office no later than Friday, Nov. 8 to be counted.
How does Kansas ensure voter registration lists are up to date, so that people who are not authorized to vote don’t cast a ballot?
Kansas was not a participant in ERIC. According to the Kansas Secretary of State, voter rolls are reviewed daily. Procedures include removing voters when death certificates are issued or when someone is convicted of a state or federal felony. Officials also use U.S. Postal service change of address lists.
How does Kansas count ballots?
All 105 Kansas counties now use optical scanners/electronic tabulators to count paper ballots. In Kansas, about 65% of voters use hand marked paper ballots, while 35% use ballot marking devices. The actual make and model of the tabulation devices by county can be found online.
Kansas law prohibits counties from using voting equipment that can be connected to the Internet. Post-election audits hand count some ballots and compare results to the results of tabulation devices from election night.
Voting equipment in all 105 Kansas counties must be certified by the Secretary of State’s office as well as the federal Election Assistance Commission (EAC), which works with an independent testing authority prior to certification.
What security measures are in place to protect the secrecy of the ballot and prevent under/over counting?
Topics that are highly debated now, such as requiring voter ID and signature verification for mail ballots, have been Kansas law for over a decade. In 2021, the Kansas Legislature passed significant changes to election rules, including:
- enhanced election equipment security
- additional election audits
- voter database maintenance
- chain of custody procedures
- and unique marks or stamps on ballots, designed to verify them as official. Ballots are also required to have a watermark in addition to this symbol.
How long does it take for Kansas election results to become official?
Each of Kansas’ 105 counties has a Board of Canvassers, whose members review provisional ballots and certify election results. Canvassing must take place between six and 13 days following an election.
Following certification by the County Board, a State Board of Canvassers takes over certification of national and state elections. That must occur before Sept. 1 for primary elections, and Dec. 1 for the general election.
What happens if officials don’t certify the election results?
If the secretary of state does not receive the intermediate canvass of any state or national election by the second Tuesday after the election, the secretary sends a messenger to obtain a copy. In the event of a recount, the county must notify the secretary of the date of the recount and the date when the intermediate canvass results will be delivered.
On Dec. 17, each state’s electors will meet to vote for the president and vice president.
Any Kansas registered voter can contest an election by filing an “election contest.” Such disputes are handled by the courts, giving judges wide discretion. Federal races can not be contested.
Alisa Barba contributed to this reporting, which is a collaboration between KCUR and America Amplified.
