By AP/KWMU
St. Louis, MO – The city of St. Louis and some Democratic lawmakers are suing to force early voting before the November election.
A successful lawsuit would let Missourians cast ballots between October 19-27.
The law right now lets people vote absentee before an election, but only if they'll be unable to vote in person on Election Day.
Absentee voters have to supply a reason why they can't vote on Election Day; early voting lets them vote without an excuse and regardless of whether they could show up on Election Day.
But the state's chief election official, Republican Secretary of State Matt Blunt, says Missouri law does not authorize early voting. He says a 2002 law on the subject required only that election authorities develop a plan for early voting.