Early voting for next week’s primary elections begins Thursday and will last for three days. Secretary of State Michael Adams said non-absentee early voting rose by nearly 50 percent in the last two general elections, and he’s been encouraging candidates to push their voters to take advantage of the opportunity.
“There's two advantages to early voting. Number one, it means you don't have to wait in line if you're voting early, because you get right in and out. And number two, you also shorten the line for everybody else. So early voting helps the voters who vote early but also helps the voters who don't vote early.”
Some Kentucky counties no longer have physical precincts, instead offering a handful of voting centers. However, ballots are still tabulated by precinct. Adams said some counties had precincts with poor cell phone reception or no running water, and some weren’t in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“It's not all bad that you had some traditional locations closed. But we also have seen, I think, some abuses where there were poll workers who volunteered and there were locations that were available. And the polls got closed anyway, because it's just easier to have fewer locations to vote.”
Adams said he’s encouraged county clerks to get a handle on that, because if they don't, the General Assembly could repeal the voting center law and make them open all their precincts. Kentucky’s primary is Tuesday, May 21.
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