Missouri primary elections will happen on August 4, 2026.  Open seats for the 2026 elections include your Congressman, Missouri State Auditor, 17 state senate seats, all 163 state representative seats, 9 circuit judge seats, plus many county commissioners and other county level offices. 

Your local newspaper and your county election authority can tell you what seats are open in your county.  Candidates can file for the August primary election from now until March 31, 2026.

Our primary elections are where we have competition within a political party.  Candidates compete with ideas, leadership skills, organizational skills and fundraising ability. 

In Missouri, the winner of a primary election is the candidate who wins the greatest number of votes cast for that office, even if they do not receive an outright majority of votes.

America was built on competition, so we should welcome competition during the primary elections. 

The winners of the August primary elections then compete in November for the actual seat.  August is a competition within the parties.  November is a competition between the 3 parties.  There are three officially recognized political parties in Missouri: Democratic, Libertarian, and Republican.   Other parties are active in our state, but have failed to meet the requirements to gain ballot access.

The winner of the November races then becomes your political representative in most cases.

This is true for your city council, county commission, state rep, state senator and congress rep. 

We are a constitutional republic, not a pure democracy.  The United States of America, the State of Missouri, your county commission as well as your city council are all republican styles of government.  A republic or republican form of government means we elect people to choose our laws for us.  This is no small task.  In Jefferson City this year, there are already thousands of bills filed for the 2026 legislative session.  Our elected representatives and senators make a pledge to study the bills brought up to a vote.  Only a few actually pass, but it is a big undertaking and not one to leave to the whims of an uniformed citizen or the latest trend on social media.

The primary is a very important election.  It's a great time to get involved in the process of who will become your representative. 

Filing for the August primary election ends on March 31, 2026. 

For more information go to your county clerk or the Missouri secretary of state election page.   https://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/candidates#PrimaryElectionAugust