Missouri Revised Statutes Title IX. Suffrage and Elections § 115.247. Election authority to provide all ballots--error in ballot, procedure to correct--number of ballots provided--return of unused ballots--all ballots printed at public expense

1. Each election authority shall provide all ballots for every election within its jurisdiction. Ballots other than those printed by the election authority in accordance with the provisions of this chapter shall not be cast or counted at any election.

2. Whenever it appears that an error has occurred in any publication required by the provisions of this chapter, or in the printing of any ballot, any circuit court may, upon the application of any voter, order the appropriate election authorities to correct the error or to show cause why the error should not be corrected.

3. For each election held in a county with a charter form of government and with more than two hundred fifty thousand but fewer than three hundred fifty thousand inhabitants, the election authority may provide for each polling place in its jurisdiction fifty-five ballots for each fifty and fraction of fifty voters registered in the voting district at the time of the election. For each election, except a general election, held in any county other than a county with a charter form of government and with more than two hundred fifty thousand but fewer than three hundred fifty thousand inhabitants, the election authority shall provide for each polling place in its jurisdiction a number of ballots equal to at least one and one-third times the number of ballots cast in the voting district served by such polling place at the election held two years before at that polling place or at the polling place that served the voting district in the previous election. For each general election held in any county other than a county with a charter form of government and with more than two hundred fifty thousand but fewer than three hundred fifty thousand inhabitants, the election authority shall provide for each polling place in its jurisdiction a number of ballots equal to one and one-third times the number of ballots cast in the voting district served by such polling place or at the polling place that served the voting district in the general election held four years prior. When determining the number of ballots to provide for each polling place, the election authority shall consider any factors that would affect the turnout at such polling place. The election authority shall keep a record of the exact number of ballots delivered to each polling place. For purposes of this subsection, the election authority shall not be required to count registered voters designated as inactive pursuant to section 115.193.

4. After the polls have closed on every election day, the election judges shall return all unused ballots to the election authority with the other election supplies.

5. All ballots cast in public elections shall be printed and distributed at public expense, payable as provided in sections 115.063 to 115.077.