FRANKFORT, Ky. (Oct. 30, 2018) – The nation’s midterm election is one week away and Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, Kentucky’s chief election official, is reminding all Kentucky voters to be prepared to cast their votes on Nov. 6.
“Our democracy depends on participation of the people,” said Grimes. “Every election matters, and this year’s is especially important as Kentuckians choose who will represent them at every level, in local, state, and federal offices. I am asking every voter to be prepared and make a plan to vote in next week’s General Election. It’s critical.”
Lawrence County Clerk Chris Jobe said everything is running smoothly in his office.
“Absentee Voting is going well,” Jobe said. “We anticipate a good turn out next week.”
One political insider said the absentee balloting and ‘in office’ voting has been much larger than in recent elections in Lawrence County so far, but Jobe did not confirm that.
“We encourage anyone that has any questions about the Election, such as if they have moved and not updated their address and need to know their voting location to contact our office,” Jobe added.
See Sample ballot BELOW
Grimes is encouraging Kentuckians to visit GoVoteKY.com, the Commonwealth’s one-stop portal for election resources. Voters can avoid Election Day surprises by verifying their polling locations and viewing sample ballots on the online portal.
All Kentucky voters will consider candidates for U.S. Congress, State Representative, District Judge, and Commonwealth’s Attorney. Voters in even-numbered Kentucky Senate districts will also elect candidates for that legislative chamber. Locally, voters will cast ballots for county officials, city officials, and certain offices with unexpired terms.
A constitutional amendment question relating to constitutional rights for crime victims also appears on the ballot across Kentucky.
In Lawrence County the last item on the ballot in whether the public wants to add what is called the “nickel tax” for the Board of Education for the purpose of building a new Louisa Elementary School.
THE VOTE WILL BE “FOR” AND “AGAINST”.
Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time on Nov. 6, and any eligible voter who is in line to vote by 6 p.m. will be allowed to cast a ballot. Grimes reminds voters that the morning and evening rush hours and lunch time tend to be busiest, so individuals voting during those periods should plan accordingly. Since there are many offices on the ballot this year, voters should allot more time to vote.
Under Kentucky law, employers must allow employees who are eligible to vote to be absent from work for at least four hours in order to cast a ballot. Kentuckians who will be working on Election Day outside the county in which they reside are eligible to vote by absentee ballot. Employers may specify the hours during which an employee may be absent, and employees should request voting leave in advance of the day on which they will vote. Employers have discretion whether to compensate employees for voting leave.
In-person absentee voting is currently available in all county clerks’ offices and will remain open until close of business on Nov. 5, the day before the election. Applications for mail-in absentee ballots must be received by the voter’s county clerk no later than close of business on Oct. 30, and voted ballots must be received by the county clerk by 6 p.m., local time, on Election Day, Nov. 6.
For additional election information, visit GoVoteKY.com, follow @KySecofState on Twitter and like Kentucky Office of the Secretary of State on Facebook.
The Lazer staff contributed to this story
