A replica noose on display has been covered up after the local Democratic party said it would clearly intimidate black voters.
The noose is located in the same room as voting booths at a Stone County electoral office, with a photo disseminated by the state Democratic party showing it hanging alongside a bell, photographs and newspaper clippings in a glass case.
"The symbol's purpose is to stoke the fires of racial prejudice and strike fear in the hearts of people of colour," said Clem Smith, acting chair of the Missouri Democratic Party on Friday.
"It is a painful reminder of the murders and lynchings of Black Americans."
Mr Smith called for the noose to be taken down immediately, describing it's location near the electoral office as "offensive, inappropriate, and outrageous".
A county official said the noose is part of a historical exhibit that had been in place for years before the upcoming presidential election, the Kansas City Star reported on Saturday. It was reportedly hung to mark the state's last legal hanging in 1937.
The display has now been covered up, it continued.
The controversy over the noose comes amid widespread fears of voter intimidation as early voting closes for the much-anticipated 3 November election.
Such concerns appeared warranted over the weekend when a convoy of pro-Trump protesters appeared to surround a Biden campaign bus as it travelled along a busy highway in Texas.
In one video of the incident, a car flying "Trump 2020" flags .
Meanwhile, hundreds of attorneys and volunteers from the presidential campaigns of Donald Trump and Joe Biden have deployed to Florida polling stations to prepare for any legal fallout following the election.
Florida, where the two candidates are practically tied, accounts for 29 crucial electoral votes, with 270 needed to win the US presidency.
"We cannot trust those Democrats," said Cristiano Piquet, 43, a Republican and Brazilian-American who was casting his early vote at a Miami polling station while carrying a US flag.
"They're pure evil and they are capable of anything. So I want to make sure that my vote counts," he said, explaining why he voted early instead of by mail.
Additional reporting: AFP
