The Daviess County Clerk’s Office shared new details and assured there will be multiple levels of security regarding the June 23 primary after discussing absentee ballots with the State Board of Election on Friday.
County Clerk Leslie McCarty and Deputy Clerk Richard House are following guidance in encouraging residents to vote by absentee ballot, and both officials act as watchdogs who preside over the entire election process to make sure every vote is validated, counted and completed without error.
“Absentee voting has gone on forever — the military and overseas voter have used it for decades,” House said, adding that voters should not worry about massive voter fraud regarding the absentee ballots.
According to McCarty, there will be no voting precincts during the primary, and any in-person votes will be conducted at the Daviess County Courthouse.
“Basically, it’s going to be like a voting center,” she said. “If you come to the courthouse, you don’t have to worry about being in the wrong precinct.”
Based on a Kentucky statute, at least one in-person voting site should be made available for disabled residents. While the purpose of the polling machine at the courthouse is for the disabled, McCarty and House did say they can’t deny anyone the right to vote in-person.
Both officials said the Clerk’s office is trying to make the primary election as transparent as possible.
To ease the nerves of those concerned with voter fraud, McCarty is working out the logistics on possibly streaming the counting process via Facebook Live. There will be two Democrats and two Republicans at the courthouse who will verify signatures on the outer and inner envelopes that are part of the absentee ballot.
Most absentee ballots will be tracked by a barcode on the envelope. If the signature matches the signature on an individual’s driver’s license, it will be verified. If it doesn’t match, the Clerk’s office will reach out to the individual to resolve the issue. Once verified, the inside envelope containing the ballot will go into a bin. Other ballots that are done in-person will be in the voting machine.
To count the votes, the Clerk’s office will open the envelope and remove the ballot, which will have no tie to the voter. Those ballots will be scanned through a machine and stored every night in a safe and secure room that will remain locked.
“There are all these levels of security,” House said. “We’re making sure people aren’t voting for others by validating signatures. Our thing is all about integrity during the election. It’s our first time doing it this way too. We’re all in the same boat.”
To request an absentee ballot, McCarty and House are encouraging residents to use the online portal created by the State Board of Elections that will go live on May 22.
“It’ll generate automatically, and it’s the fastest way to get a ballot out to you,” McCarty said.
Those with questions about the election, the online portal, or absentee ballots can reach the County Clerk’s office at 270-240-5771. This number will not be activated until Monday, and the Clerk’s office recommends everyone wait to call until the online portal becomes available.
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