Kentuckians can begin requesting an absentee ballot by mail next week, they can utilize early in-person voting beginning Oct. 13, and counties can offer one voting super-center in addition to other sites on Election Day. Those are a few key takeaways from the state’s General Election plan announced Friday.
Gov. Andy Beshear and Secretary of State Michael Adams announced a bipartisan agreement to allow Kentuckians to exercise their right to vote in the November General Election while protecting their health during the ongoing pandemic.
Highlights of the plan include:
- Any voter of any age or health condition who believes they are at risk from COVID-19 may vote via absentee ballot. Eligibility to vote absentee also extends to voters who are in contact with such vulnerable voters.
- Mailed ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3 (Election Day) and received by Nov. 6, and drop boxes will be available in each county for those concerned about postal delays.
- Early in-person voting — which can be utilized by any voter for any reason — will begin on October 13, and will include Saturday voting.
- Any person who is not able to get a Photo ID due to COVID-19 will be able to vote with a non-photo ID. Also, absentee voters who have a Photo ID but are not able to provide a copy of it will be able to vote.
- Every county board of elections will count and tally all ballots it has received — including absentee and in-person — as of 6 p.m. Nov. 3 and report those by 11:59 p.m. that night. Those results will not be official, as there will still be three more days that absentee ballots can be received.
“Secretary Adams and I were able to put partisanship aside and develop a plan for the General Election that puts the health and safety of Kentuckians first,” Gov. Beshear said. “This plan provides more time and options to vote in this General Election than ever before.”
Adams echoed those thoughts, adding that they learned from the June primary.
“We kept the best of what worked in the June primary, especially giving voters options to safely cast their votes, and we built on that record with improvements – more in-person voting locations, and faster election results,” he said.
In the weeks ahead, the Governor, Secretary of State, State Board of Elections and local election officials will educate Kentuckians on the General Election plan.
More details of the plan include:
Absentee ballot by mail
- Kentuckians concerned with contracting or spreading COVID-19 can request a ballot by mail.
- An online portal will launch within the week to allow Kentuckians to request a ballot by mail. Ballots can be requested through the portal through Oct. 9, and through traditional means after.
- Mail ballots must be postmarked by Election Day, Nov. 3, and received by Nov. 6.
- Drop boxes will be available for Kentuckians to return their mail ballots if they are concerned about postal delays. County clerks will determine these locations.
Early voting
- Beginning Oct. 13, three weeks before the election, every work day between Oct. 13 and Election Day, and every Saturday for at least four hours, every county clerk will provide a location for safe in-person voting.
- Early voting is not absentee voting – anyone can vote early for any reason.
Election Day voting
- County election officials will decide election sites on Election Day. The State Board of Elections, Secretary of State and Governor will approve each plan.
- Every county will have at least one voting super-center, where everyone from the county can go to vote, regardless of his or her precinct.
Voter identification
- Kentuckians who were unable to get a driver’s licenses or photo ID due to the pandemic because their clerk’s office was closed, or because they were afraid of exposing themselves to COVID-19, can sign a document explaining this concern and cast their ballot.
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