Local plans for Election Day announced; sample ballot included

The  Daviess County Board of Elections has announced their plans for the 2020 General Election, including polling locations and details for early and absentee voting.

A sample ballot can be found here, and the plan is detailed below.

Early in-person voting

• Any registered voter in Daviess County is eligible to vote early. 
• Early voting will take place from Oct. 13 to Nov. 2.
• E-poll books will be used to record voters IDs and signatures
• Results of these numbers will be released on Election Night
• Hours and locations will be (Saturdays will begin at only the Courthouse location and maybe expanded to mall location if demands deems it necessary):
  • Daviess County Clerk’s Office
    • Monday thru Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
    • Oct. 17, 24, and 31, 8 a.m. to noon 
  • Former Burke’s Store in Towne Square Mall 
    • Monday thru Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Election Day voting (Nov. 3): 

• Hours will be 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• E-poll books will be used to record voters’ IDs and signatures
• Results of these numbers will be released on Election Night
• Locations will be “voting centers,” meaning any voter can go to any site to cast their ballot
• Locations will be:
  • Owensboro Sportscenter 
  • Former Burke’s department store at Towne Square Mall 
  • Owensboro Christian Church Entrance D 
  • Bellevue Baptist Church gymnasium 
  • Yellow Creek Baptist Church gymnasium 
  • The Hines Center in Philpot 
• The Daviess County Courthouse will be used as a problem-solving center and not used as a primary location on Election Day. However, individuals that must go there to resolve issues will be able to cast a vote there.

Mail-in absentee voting:

• Requests will be processed through the portal (www.GoVoteKY.com) and by phone (270-240-5771) through Oct. 9. The portal closes at 10:59 p.m. CST Oct. 9.
• All ballots scanned into the E-scan machine as of 6 p.m. on Election Day will be reported in the Election Night First Report.
• Any eligible ballots received after 6 p.m. on Election Day will be scanned into a separate machine and reported at the State Board of Elections designated time.
• Drop-off boxes
  • All election ballot drop-off boxes will be checked and emptied daily. Each location will have video surveillance and be in secured locations throughout the County. The number will depend on how many boxes are made available by the State Board of Elections.
  • Locations will include (depending on how many boxes are made available):
    • Daviess County Courthouse
    • Daviess County Operations Center
    • Western Kentucky University-Owensboro
    • Daviess County Public Library
    • Whitesville City Hall
    • Towne Square Mall
    • Doodle Bugs Market in Knottsville
• All ballots will be mailed out within 7 days of receipt of request.
  • Ballot requests made prior to Monday began going out Tuesday.
  • More than 7,200 voters in Daviess County have requested a ballot so far.
• Processing of ballots:
  • Four temporary workers began the week of Aug. 23 and will answer phone calls and process requests until at least Oct. 9. Two will then be moved to the processing team.
  • All prepping, mailing, and processing of any ballots returned to the Clerk’s Office will be performed in the Emergency Operation Center located in the basement of the Daviess County Courthouse.
  • The processing team will consist of 8-12 temporary workers.
  • All mailing out will be completed before any ballots enter the opening process.
  • Four members of the processing group will work continuously on logging ballots in and verifying signatures as they are returned to our office (each signature will be verified by a Democrat and Republican and signed off on by initial or stamp). These ballot envelopes will be securely stored until the opening process stage begins.

• Opening of ballots:
  • Once the opening process begins, the ballots will be opened by pairs of workers (one Repbulican and one Democrat) who will only handle 20 ballots at a time and will complete a log sheet of their 20 ballots. They will list any rejected ballots with a reason before those are separated into bins for their specific reason for rejection. At that point, rejected ballots will be entered into the system for their specific reason and securely stored separately.
  • Voters will be notified if their ballot is rejected so the issue can be resolved.
  • After the pair completes their 20 ballots, they will scan them into the E-scan machine and log on their sheet the specific starting and ending PVT count of their batch.
  • These records will be kept by a processing clerk within the room.
• A facilitator will be assigned to manage the processing room and will randomly audit the work of the grouped pairs.
• One individual will be assigned to double-check all empty envelopes before being stored away during the processing portion of the ballots being opened.
• The Clerk’s Office will work with the bulk mail representative of the Owensboro Post Office to ensure ballots are securely sent and received through the process.

Local officials said the plan must still get final approval at the state level, but they are moving forward due to the short time frame. Officials said they expect only minor adjustments if the full plan is not approved.