County Clerk Updating Voter Registrations
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Submitted by Batina Dodge, Scotland County Clerk
SCOTLAND COUNTY CLERK’S OFFICE TO BEGIN BIENNIAL CANVASS OF REGISTERED VOTERS
A voter registration canvass is performed every other year by the County Clerk’s office, with a voter identification card mailed to each registered voter in the county.
If all information is correct on the voter identification card received, no action is required on behalf of the voter.
Voter identification cards are not forwardable, so if the addressee no longer resides at the address on the card it is to be returned to the County Clerk’s office. “A returned card is our first alert that a voter no longer resides where they initially registered. Often voters forget to update their voter registration record when they move, so this canvass is one tool we use to ensure our records are up-to-date,” says Batina Dodge, Scotland County Clerk. Other resources utilized include reports provided by the Missouri Department of Health and Social Services, Missouri Department of Corrections, and the Scotland County Circuit Clerk.
When undeliverable voter identification cards are returned to the County Clerk’s office, a residence confirmation notice (RCN) is prepared. Unlike the initial voter identification card, the second mailing is forwardable, and can be delivered to the voter at an address other than what is listed on their voter record. The RCN provides voters a chance to update their address, which must be done at the request of the voter with their signature. If the RCN is not returned the voter’s status is made inactive. Once a voter has remained inactive – not completing address updates, voting, or signing petitions – through two federal election cycles, the voter is removed from the election rolls.
Voters needing to update their voter registration information may do so by completing the back side of the voter identification card and returning it to the County Clerk’s office or online through the Secretary of State’s office, www. sos.mo.gov.
Anyone not receiving a voter identification card in the next two weeks is encouraged to contact the County Clerk’s office at (660) 465-7027.
For voters who have not previously registered to vote in Scotland County, registration applications can be obtained in the County Clerk’s office or found online through the Secretary of State’s office, www.sos.mo.gov. Dodge encourages voters to double check their information before submitting it. “Voters’ credentials are cross-checked across various state agencies such as Department of Motor Vehicles, Social Security Administration, Department of Health and Social Services, and Department of Corrections, to help verify their identity. If any of the fields are left blank or numbers are transposed that could delay the record from being processed.” The deadline for new residents to register to vote is always the fourth Wednesday prior to an election.
Election Deadline to Register
Apr. 2, 2024 Gen. Municipal March 6, 2024
August 6, 2024 Primary July 10, 2024
November 5, 2024 General October 9, 2024
For further information contact the Scotland County Clerk’s office at (660) 465-7027.