By Kevin Lavery, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – St. Louis mayor Francis Slay and other Democrats had sued Republican Secretary of State Matt Blunt to allow Missourians to cast ballots over several days in October in advance of the Nov. 2 election.
But the judge said the law only requires officials to establish a plan for early voting. Mayor Slay says he'll continue to make the issue a top legislative priority.
"I'm very disappointed...(I) don't know whether or not we're going to appeal, but the fight isn't over," Slay said. "And we're going to continue our efforts to make sure that all voters throughout the state of Missouri can vote early."
Blunt spokesman Spence Jackson says state lawmakers never approved funding for early voting, and that enacting it so close to the election would've created chaos.
"To spring it on county clerks and election officials who had not been planning to implement it less than three months from a major, major presidential election would just be reckless and very, very ill-advised, and the court agreed with that today," said Jackson.