JEFFERSON CITY, MO, OCT. 23, 2021 - The Missouri Soil and Water Districts Commission approved new rules governing the election of board members to local Soil and Water Conservation districts. These changes standardize elections across the state and expand voting opportunities.
During the 2018 red tape reduction effort undertaken by all state agencies, rulemaking was completed that moved the responsibility for district board election policies from state statute to the Soil and Water Districts Commission. The commission worked closely with the Department of Natural Resources’ Soil and Water Conservation Program to create a more modern, straightforward set of rules.
The new procedures will have all 114 districts across the state conducting elections at the same time, with half of their board seats up for re-election every other year beginning in February 2022. Districts will begin taking nominees in November of 2021.
In addition to a simpler, more standardized election timeline, voting opportunities have been expanded. In the past, elections were typically held at a single location for an eight-hour period. Voting will now be open for nearly a month, and there is an option for mailing in ballots.
“The election procedures were changed to allow more flexibility in the nomination and voting processes,” said Jim Boschert, environmental supervisor with the department’s Soil and Water Conservation program. “We hope this will increase the number of district board nominees as well as the number of individuals who cast votes in the elections.”
For more information about nominee or voter eligibility and polling locations visit mosoilandwater.land/ and select your local district.