The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Missouri SB 1132 mandates paper ballots and hand-counting, phasing out most electronic voting systems
Last action · January 15, 2026: Second Read and Referred S Local Government, Elections and Pensions CommitteeSponsor: Ben Brown
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What This Bill Would Do
Senate Bill 1132 repeals provisions permitting automatic tabulating equipment and electronic voting machines, instead requiring all ballots to be cast on paper and hand-counted starting in 2023. The measure permits accessible voting machines for individuals with disabilities under specific conditions, requires periodic cybersecurity reviews for election authorities, and establishes strict penalties for election offenses.
This legislation alters how every election is conducted across Missouri by shifting from electronic tabulators to manual hand-counting of paper ballots, while introducing new cybersecurity review requirements and altering election administration costs.
- Missouri election law has historically evolved through various statutory frameworks governing electronic voting systems, paper ballots, and recount procedures under Chapter 115 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri. context
- Similar legislative proposals regarding hand-counted paper ballots and restrictions on electronic voting equipment were previously introduced during prior legislative sessions in Missouri. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
election authorities
Election authorities must alter ballot tabulation procedures, manage hand-counting processes, maintain accessibility databases, and submit to biennial cybersecurity reviews.
registered voters
Registered voters must cast hand-marked paper ballots instead of using electronic voting systems, except for eligible individuals using accessible machines.
individuals with disabilities
Voters requiring accessibility features may use specially designed accessible voting machines that print a paper audit trail ballot.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will voters with disabilities still be able to use voting machines?
How often must election offices undergo cybersecurity reviews?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Check Your Understanding
1.What requirement does the bill place on each election authority regarding accessible voting machines at polling places?
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
3 actions- Jan 15, 2026SenateFloorSecond Read and Referred S Local Government, Elections and Pensions Committee
- Jan 7, 2026SenateIntroducedS First Read
- Dec 1, 2025SenatePrefiled
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. The text on record is the 4599S.01I - Introduced version. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Shift from Electronic Tabulation to Manual Counting
The legislation systematically repeals multiple statutes governing electronic voting systems and automatic tabulators, replacing them with a mandatory hand-counted paper ballot framework.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.senate.mo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance90How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy85Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz65Current news / social attention level
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