ST. LOUIS, Mo. — St. Louis County closed out its two-week stretch of no-excuse early voting Monday with more than 173,000 ballots cast, putting unofficial turnout close to 27 percent before a single Election Day vote.
That total is about three times the roughly 56,000 county residents who voted early in the 2022 midterms. More than 28,000 people voted on the final day alone, and a few lines formed at county sites Monday.
Part of the jump comes down to access. The county ran 21 early voting locations this fall, up from 14 in the 2024 presidential race and only seven in 2022, the first year Missouri allowed early voting without an excuse. Democratic elections director Eric Fey has said the 2022 and 2026 numbers are hard to compare for that reason.
Officials also cannot say yet whether the early surge means a bigger turnout overall or just voters shifting when they cast ballots. Republican elections director Rick Stream noted that the county saw heavy early voting in August and then a very large crowd on Election Day anyway.
Statewide, Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins has projected turnout of 55 percent. Kurt Bahr, who runs elections in neighboring St. Charles County, thinks turnout there could hit 60 percent, unusual for a midterm without a presidential or U.S. Senate contest. Jefferson County expected more than 10,000 early voters, up from about 4,100 in 2022.
Missouri polls run from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. Tuesday. During the early window, voters could pick any county site they liked.
Section: More St. Louis MO politics news
Filed under: St. Louis MO Politics News
