JEFFERSON CITY – Secretary of State Robin Carnahan announced that candidates could begin filing for Feb. 7, 2012, Presidential Preference Primary ballot at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011. Filing will remain open for one month until November 22, 2011.
“State law requires that Missouri begin the filing process for selecting party nominees for president next week. Just as ordinary Missourians have the chance to vote for party nominees for senator, governor and all their state and county elected officials, the Presidential Preference Primary on February 7, 2012 gives them a vote in nominating the next president,” Carnahan said. “Electing the President of the United States is serious business. Every Missourian should have the right to participate in that process. At a time when people want their voices heard, Missouri’s primary ensures voters can participate directly and not have such an important decision left to party insiders.”
In 2008, more than 1.4 million Missourians went to the polls to cast a ballot in the Presidential Preference Primary. Missouri does not require registration by political party, which means any eligible voter, including independents, can vote in the primary election.
All Presidential Preference Primary candidates must file with the Missouri Secretary of State’s office. Candidates who file a request on the first day and who are present, either in person or through a representative, will participate in a random drawing to determine ballot position. After the first day, candidates’ names will be listed in the order in which their requests are received in the office of the Secretary of State.
Filing is accepted on the third floor of the James C. Kirkpatrick State Information Center, 600 West Main Street in Jefferson City, 8 a.m. and continuing until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 22. Carnahan’s office will accept candidate filings from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every weekday during the filing period.
In Missouri, only candidates from established political parties may participate in the primary. The four established parties in Missouri are: Democratic, Republican, Libertarian and Constitution.
More information is available at the Secretary of State’s website at: http://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/2012primary/2012ppp/
