Voters Face April 6 Absentee Deadline Amid Missing Election Details | The Locally Times
As the April 6 in-person absentee deadline nears, public records for elections in St. Louis and eight other municipalities lack details on voting locations, hours, and ballot types.
Louis City Board of Election Commissioners. The deadline concludes a multi-week period of early voting options that began in March. This final opportunity for in-person absentee voting applies to what the election board’s records describe as “both types” of ballots, though public documents do not specify the distinction between these types. The deadline is a critical juncture for voters in St. Louis City and at least eight surrounding municipalities, all of which are holding elections for local offices and ballot measures on April 7. ## A Cascade of Deadlines The April 6 in-person voting deadline is the last in a series of dates set by the St. Louis City Board of Election Commissioners for the current election cycle. The process began with the voter registration deadline on March 11. One day later, on March 25, the window closed for voters to request an application-based absentee ballot by mail. With that deadline passed, the final option before Election Day is in-person absentee voting, which must be completed by the end of the day on April 6. For those who miss the in-person absentee deadline or choose to vote on Election Day, polls will be open on Tuesday, April 7. According to the St. Louis City Board of Election Commissioners, all mail-in ballots must be received by 7 p.m. that day, and all in-person voters must be in line by 7 p.m. to cast their vote. ## A Patchwork of Regional Elections While the St. Louis City Board of Election Commissioners has set a clear timeline, the April 7 election extends across the region, creating a complex web of different races and issues. Public records confirm that at least eight other municipalities will present voters with ballots on the same day. These include Webster Groves, Brentwood, Town and Country, Des Peres, Crestwood, Sunset Hills, Overland, and Arnold. Available records provide some specifics on what voters will decide. In Webster Groves, a notice on the city’s website states that voters will select one candidate for Mayor and three for Council Member. In Crestwood, the election will present voters with four proposed amendments to the City Charter, which were recommended by the 2025 Crestwood Charter Review Commission and approved for the ballot by the Board of Aldermen. Records from the City of Sunset Hills offer the most detailed candidate information. The April 7 municipal election there includes a race for Mayor between incumbent Patricia Fribis and a challenger. Additionally, aldermanic seats are contested in all four city wards. Candidates who have filed include Natalie Akins and Frank Hardy in Ward 1; incumbent Casey F. Wong, Greg Zveitel, and Mark Schwarz in Ward 2; incumbent Kurtis Krueger and Angie Weigel in Ward 3; and incumbent Mark Colombo and Cathy Friedmann in Ward 4. For the other municipalities—Brentwood, Town and Country, Des Peres, Overland, and Arnold—city websites confirm that a General Municipal Election will take place on April 7 and that candidate filings have occurred. However, the posted notices do not specify the exact offices, candidates, or ballot measures that will be before voters. ## Key Voting Information Missing from Public Records The convergence of numerous local elections highlights significant gaps in publicly available information that could impact civic participation. Across all nine jurisdictions, reviewed public records from the St. Louis City Board of Election Commissioners and the eight other municipalities do not specify the physical locations or operating hours for in-person absentee voting. This lack of logistical detail presents a substantial barrier to access, particularly for residents with inflexible work schedules. Procedural details are also undefined in public records. It is not clear from available documents whether the absentee voting deadlines set by the St. Louis City Board of Election Commissioners apply uniformly to the surrounding suburban municipalities. Public notices from Webster Groves, Crestwood, and others holding elections do not contain specific information on their respective absentee voting rules. Further ambiguity exists within St. Louis City's own election notices, which refer to the last day to vote absentee for “both types” of ballots. The source documents do not define what these two types are or what criteria distinguish them. The fragmented nature of election information places a significant burden on the voter to seek out critical details that are not readily available before the April 6 deadline.