Summary

Dear Governor Parson and Secretary Ashcroft:

We write to advise that certain provisions of Wednesday’s Executive Order 20-03, extending Missouri’s April 7, 2020 Municipal Elections until June 2, 2020, violate the Missouri Constitution and state law by failing to correspondingly extend the voter registration deadline to the fourth Wednesday prior to the new election date as required by Mo. Rev. Stat. § 115.135. If the date of these elections remains at June 2, 2020, as provided by Executive Order 20-03, state law requires that voters be permitted to register to vote in that election through 5 p.m. on Wednesday May 6, 2020, and the Missouri Constitution requires that eligible voters who do so be allowed to vote in these elections.

We therefore request you amend Executive Order 20-03 to comply with Missouri law and take other immediate steps to ensure that all otherwise-eligible voters who register by Wednesday May 6, 2020, can vote during the June 2, 2020 elections, and that you take immediate steps to notify election authorities and educate voters of this deadline.

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