Kentucky’s primary election has been moved from May 19 to June 23 in response to the state’s attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19, as announced by Gov. Andy Beshear during a Monday afternoon press conference.
The decision was made after Secretary of State and Chief Elections Official Michael Adams made a recommendation to Beshear.
“It’s not something I’ve done lightly,” Adams said. “It’s something that was done with feedback from County Clerks of both parties around the state, the state board of elections staff and others.”
Beshear said it was the latest in a series of tough steps that had to be taken as a result of the ever-tightening guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We don’t want people out there trying to create gatherings where the coronavirus could spread,” Beshear said. “Just think about the poll worker at your location. We cannot ask people to sit all day long at one of these centers, especially when they are some of the most vulnerable.”
Most notably on the ballot is the primary election for President of the United States. Adams said the postponement is an effort to ensure a smooth election.
“Obviously the hope is by June 23 the worst will be over, and we’ll be able to have an election that’s as normal as possible,” he said. “The other possibility is we won’t be back to normal. This will give us time to assess changes that we can make in our election system as to location, potentially even as to method, to make sure that we can have smooth election.”
There are no local races concerning Daviess County in this primary. The filing deadline for local races on November’s ballot is 4 p.m. June 2 .
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The Owensboro Health coronavirus hotline is available 24/7 by calling 877-888-6647. Call the hotline before seeking in-person care. More information from OH can be found here.
For the latest information and data on COVID-19 in Kentucky visit kycovid19.ky.gov or dial the Kentucky state hotline at 800-722-5725.
For the latest health guidelines and resources from the CDC, visit their website here.
