Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft says it was a successful start to the August primary candidate filing period which opened at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, February 22.

A press release says a total of 337 candidates visited the secretary of state’s office to ensure their names will appear on the Tuesday, August 2, primary ballot.

Of the 337 candidates who filed, 236 filed as Republicans, 95 as Democrats and six as Libertarians.

Candidates for U.S. and state offices, along with some judges, are required to file in person at the Secretary of State’s office building, located at 600 West Main Street in Jefferson City. Candidate filing will continue during regular office hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday through Tuesday, March 29 .

Candidates who filed on the first day drew a random number to determine ballot placement. Candidates filing after the first day are placed on the ballot in filing time order. Exceptions for in-person filing are made to candidates that are active-duty members of the armed services or unable to appear in person due to physical disabilities.

For a current list of filed candidates, visit s1.sos.mo.gov/candidatesonweb.

For more information on candidate filing, visit sos.mo.gov/elections/candidates.