The Missouri GOP will run a caucus in each county on March 2 at 10 a.m. Chris Grahn-Howard helped write the rules for the GOP’s March Caucus. He spoke as part of an informational webinar with the League of Women Voters of Missouri about the primary changes.
“Caucuses are an exclusive event. If you can’t be there on March the second at 10 a.m., then you can’t play. And we aren’t happy about that, but that’s how a caucus works. And you’re going to be there for several hours," said Grahn-Howard during the webinar.
The voter registration deadline to take part in the GOP Caucus is Feb. 2, and voters do not have to be affiliated with the Republican Party, but Grahn-Howard said “if somebody is a registered voter and they show up to participate in the caucus and they’re affiliated as a Democrat, they may not be allowed to participate at that point.”
Voters are required to bring a "valid, unexpired, government-issued photo ID" as stated on the Missouri GOP website.
Missouri Democrats will run a primary election in each county. Voters can cast a ballot by mail or in person at a voting site on March 23 from 8 a.m. to noon. The voter registration deadline is Feb. 21. The Democrat's primary is open to affiliated Democrats and unaffiliated voters, but it’s not open to affiliated Republicans.
Matthew Patterson, the Missouri Democratic Party executive director, also spoke at the webinar.
“On our website, folks will be able to go in, we’ll have a link on there that you’ll be able to go on and type your information in and be able to request a ballot online," he said. "And for folks that don’t have online capability, we will have a hotline.”
The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is March 12, and it must be received by the Missouri Democratic Party by March 23 at 10 a.m.
An email from the Missouri Democrats said voter ID requirements are still being decided, as well as polling locations in each county.
The Libertarian Party of Missouri will run a statewide caucus on Feb. 24 in Earth City.
Grahn-Howard and Patterson both said to check the parties' websites as information is updated throughout the next month.
