The undersigned voter advocates urge Missouri lawmakers and officials to adopt the following policy measures to ensure accessible, safe and orderly elections in Missouri in 2020 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The measures, crafted by the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, are aligned with recommendations of national voting rights experts, in collaboration with Missouri experts, advocates and election officials, with particular attention Missouri election law and election administration practices. Recommended measures for voting in Missouri in 2020 in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis are more fully laid out at: https://tinyurl.com/vocoed8 and include:

I. Expansion of absentee voting by mail, including adoption of no-excuse absentee voting, elimination of the notary requirement for absentee ballots, and multiple options for request and return of absentee ballots. At minimum, absentee voting currently allowed due to incapacity or illness should explicitly include those practicing social distancing or self-quarantine as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.
II. Expansion of options for in-person absentee and early voting, allowing more citizens to vote over time rather than in a cluster on Election Day.
III. Expansion of voter registration options, particularly online.
IV. Polling place modifications to ensure public safety, and to protect accessibility for voting populations that have traditionally faced barriers to the ballot.
V. Robust voter education.

Given the urgency of the current crisis, the need to ensure access for voters and the importance of clarity and transparency, we urge Missouri officials to move swiftly to adopt the policy measures contained in these guidelines and urge Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft to issue clear guidelines to ensure the accessible, safe and orderly conduct of the 2020 primary and general elections.