HB395 is an elections bill that rewrites several provisions of Missouri election law by repealing and reenacting sections governing voter registration, ballot printing, absentee voting, and related election administration. The bill lowers the registration age threshold language to allow eligible citizens who are 17 years and 6 months old to register if they will be 18 by Election Day, and it updates the voter registration form and procedures to require citizenship and age attestations, include a warning about election offenses for unlawful registration, and provide applications in English, Spanish, and Braille. It also directs the Secretary of State to prescribe uniform registration document standards consistent with federal law.
The bill makes additional changes to ballot administration and absentee voting. It requires election authorities to print and distribute ballots, including Braille ballots for visually impaired voters, and revises rules for how many ballots must be supplied to polling places in certain counties. For absentee voting, it sets deadlines for printing absentee ballots, requires them to match official ballots, and establishes timelines and procedures for delivering absentee ballots to qualified voters, including special bipartisan delivery teams for voters who are hospitalized, confined, or living in certain care facilities. It also preserves existing protections for covered voters and prohibits providing campaign advocacy material with absentee ballots.
HB395 would affect Missouri election authorities, the Secretary of State, voters registering by mail or in person, absentee voters, and voters who need accessible ballot formats. It repeals and replaces five sections of the Missouri Revised Statutes, primarily in Chapter 115, and would change how voter registration applications are completed, reviewed, and stored, as well as how ballots are printed, distributed, and counted. The bill also appears to remove prior language barring voting while on probation or parole after a felony conviction, while retaining the prohibition on voting while confined under a sentence of imprisonment and on voting after convictions connected with the right of suffrage.
Because there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided, the bill’s overall sentiment cannot be measured from debate or roll call history. Based on the text alone, the measure appears to be framed as an administrative and access-focused elections bill, with provisions that expand language and accessibility accommodations while also tightening registration documentation and verification requirements. The absence of discussion history means there is no documented public support or opposition in the provided materials.
The main points of potential contention are likely to be the voter registration verification requirements, the citizenship and identification language on the registration form, and the felony-related voting eligibility changes. Supporters would likely emphasize uniformity, election integrity, and accessibility features such as Braille and multilingual forms, while critics might focus on whether the added documentation and warnings could burden registration or whether the changes to felony voting rules are too restrictive or too permissive depending on interpretation.
HB395 would substantially revise Chapter 115 election procedures in Missouri by repealing and reenacting five statutes governing voter registration, ballot printing, absentee ballot distribution, and related administrative rules. It would require updated registration forms and procedures, mandate multilingual and Braille applications, set uniform standards for registration documents, and alter absentee ballot delivery timelines and methods. The bill would also affect election authorities’ duties in preparing ballots, maintaining records, and handling voter eligibility determinations, while changing the statutory language on felony-related voting disqualifications.
No committee testimony or vote history is provided, so there is no direct evidence of support or opposition from the legislative record in the materials supplied. On the face of the bill, the sentiment appears mixed but generally administrative in tone: it combines accessibility measures such as Spanish and Braille forms with stricter verification and eligibility language. That combination suggests the bill could attract support from those prioritizing election administration and accessibility, while drawing concern from those wary of added registration hurdles or changes to voting eligibility rules.
The most notable areas of contention are likely to be the voter registration requirements and the felony voting provisions. The bill adds explicit citizenship and age attestations, requires additional identification for some first-time mail registrants, and warns of criminal penalties for unlawful registration, which could be viewed as strengthening integrity but also as creating barriers. Another likely point of debate is the removal of prior language barring voting while on probation or parole after a felony conviction, alongside the retained restrictions for imprisonment and suffrage-related convictions, which may prompt differing views on voter restoration and election eligibility. Accessibility provisions, including Braille and Spanish forms, are less likely to be controversial and may be broadly supported.