By KWMU
St. Louis, MO – Candidates in Missouri started filing to run in this August's primary election this (Tuesday) morning.
It's a formality for many candidates who have already said what office they're running for and who now need to turn in signatures to get a spot on the ballot.
But some candidates have been less sure.
State Senator Maida Coleman (D-St. Louis), for example, had said she would run for state Auditor. But she has also recently said she'd consider running for an office in St. Louis City.
Those who showed up Tuesday morning at the Secretary of State's office in Jefferson City were not guaranteed a higher ballot placement. Everyone had to pick a random number to determine ballot order.
The first person in line, St. Louis Congressional hopeful Leslie Farr, drew number 417 out of a pool of 998 numbers.
Secretary of State Robin Carnahan says she expects about 300 people to file through her office Tuesday. Candidate filing continues through March 28.
Candidates for more local races like St. Louis County Executive or St. Louis City License Collector will file at their county elections office.