The nation’s general election is one week away and Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, Kentucky’s chief election official, is reminding all registered voters to be prepared to cast their votes on Nov. 8.
“The foundation of our democracy is our free and fair elections – going to the polls and casting a ballot,” said Grimes. “Because our elections matter so much, it is critical that every voter makes plans to vote on or before Election Day and is prepared before they do.”
Grimes is encouraging Kentuckians to visit GoVoteKY.com, a one-stop portal she launched for election resources. Voters may avoid surprises on Election Day by verifying their polling locations and viewing sample ballots on the online portal.
The portal also includes a new online voter registration platform, which more than 100,000 Kentuckians used to register or update their registration between its launch in March and the October 11 general election deadline.
All Kentucky voters will consider candidates for President, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and Kentucky House of Representatives. Voters in odd-numbered Kentucky Senate districts will also see that office on their ballot. Locally, some voters will cast ballots in partisan and non-partisan races for city legislative bodies and certain offices with unexpired terms.
Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time, and any eligible voter 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 this is a presidential election cycle, voters should expect more people than usual at the polls.
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. 7, 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 Nov. 1, and voted ballots must be received by the county clerk by 6 p.m., local time, on Election Day, Nov. 8.
For additional election information, visit GoVoteKY.com, follow @kysecofstate on Twitter and like Kentucky Office of the Secretary of State on Facebook.