KENTUCKY VOTERS HAVE LITTLE INTEREST IN GOVERNOR’S RACE DESPITE NUMBER OF TV ADS, POLLS SHOW

IN THE HOME STRETCH: FINAL DAYS OF KENTUCKY GOVERNOR RACE HAS VOTERS IN THE STATE HAVING LACKLUSTER ENTHUSIASM TO TURN OUT FOR NOVEMBER 5 ELECTION

STATE ELECTION OFFICIALS EXPECT TOTAL VOTER TURNOUT TO BE AT NEARLY IDENTICAL LEVEL AS WAS FOR 2015 ELECTION

At the close of the debate, they were asked by the moderator to say something nice about each other. Governor Bevin complimented Beshear on running for office. Beshear gave a nod to Bevin’s work with foster care reforms, but not without including a dig at what he called the governor’s lack of progress on the issue.

Both governor candidates have wages a TV commercial campaign mostly as well as visits to several areas of the state. Attorney General candidates Greg Stumbo (D-Floyd Co.) and Daniel Cameron (R-Louisville) have also bought considerable TV commercial time in their race.

Republican President Donald Trump is scheduled to make an election eve appearance at Rupp Arena in Lexington in an effort to boost Bevin’s chances in the controversial election in which Bevin has made abortion and business growth his main themes.

But he has also angered school and state workers with comments about their fitness and ability to do their jobs.

Beshear touts his Kentucky roots and effective lawsuits against Big Pharma in the fight against opioids in the state.

This all came as absentee voting for Kentucky residents who will be out of town November 5 have been casting their ballots, as absentee voting opened across the state on Friday, October 18. The absentee voting so far, however, has been sparse, leaving state election officials expecting a low voter turn out on Tuesday when polls will be open from 6:00 am until 6:00pm..

County Clerk’s offices will open for absentee voting during regular business hours until November 4. Absentee voting is a way in which a person can cast their vote before the election date either by visiting the clerk’s office or through mail.

For the explanation, there is a difference between absentee voting and early voting.

Absentee voting requires a solid reason for not being able to come to the polling station on the voting day, while early voting does not ask for such an excuse. There is no written proof required for being an absentee voter, but an individual can face legal penalties if found lying.Absentee voting can be helpful for people who are ill, disabled, unable to come to their polling station, residing out of the country, pregnant or incarcerated in jail (charged with a crime but not convicted). It can also be useful for a person whose employment requires them to stay out of county or a person who is a participant in the office of the secretary of state’s address confidentiality program.

Every year, around 33,000 voters registered themselves (absentee), but only a couple of thousand shows up, which is a very low turnout. Voting is very important for our future, so I request everyone to vote.

The state’s top election official is predicting just over 30% of registered Kentucky voters will exercise their right to choose the commonwealth’s leaders next week.

This past Tuesday, Secretary Grimes said she’s is expecting about 1 million voters, or 31% of the state’s 3.5 million registered voters, to turn up at the polls Tuesday, Nov. 5.

“Based on current absentee voting, I believe turnout will be at or above the 2015 General Election and that’s simply not OK,” Grimes said in Tuesday’s statement. 

Officials said if the prediction proves correct, the voter total would slightly edge out the last governor’s race in 2015’s General Election, when only 30.7% of registered voters turned out and Bevin won by just over 30,000 votes statewide

.Locally, Lawrence County Clerk Chris Jobe predicts a 30 percent turnout in the county, where 43.6 percent of voters cast ballots in last November’s 2018 elections for city and county offices.

Eligible voters have not exactly been storming through the doors to cast early ballots in Lawrence County apparently as well.  Around 21 residents residents had voted on machines in the Lawrence county Clerk’s office, and Chris Jobe stated that “maybe 50” had requested applications for absentee ballots as Thursday October 24.

In house absentee voting in the Lawrence County Clerk office will be available until 4:30 P.M. Monday November 4, Jobe said.