Open Letter on Voter Protections during COVID

April 6, 2020 – 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 Missouri Voter Protection Coalition is a nonpartisan statewide network working to  protect the right to vote in Missouri. For more than a decade we have worked to promote  access to the ballot and remove barriers to voting. In the wake of the threat posed by the  COVID-19 crisis, we urge the adoption of the following measures to ensure the  accessible, safe and orderly conduct of the 2020 primary and general elections. The  Missouri Voter Protection Coalition joined with more than 150 organizations calling on  Congress to appropriate federal funds to support state elections infrastructures and urge Missouri officials to release needed funds. The below recommended policy measures for  Missouri, prepared in collaboration with experts and advocates, align with  recommendations advanced by the Leadership Conference for Civil and Human Rights, the Brennan Center for Justice and National Task Force on Election Crises focused on the  particulars of Missouri election law and administration.