Open Early Voting in Kentucky

Kentucky's voter ID law is fairly liberal, permitting social security cards, credit cards or personal acquaintance with precinct officials as sufficient identification.

But Kentucky practices anti-Democratic voter suppression in other ways, including barring early voting.


Scott Wartman at Cincinnati.com:

Voters in Ohio, Indiana and most other states can cast ballots well ahead of the Nov. 6 election without needing an excuse.

But not in Kentucky, which remains one of 16 states that doesn’t allow people to vote before Election Day without having to provide a reason.


As the election nears, 34 states will allow people to vote early without an excuse. The percentage of early votes cast nationally has continued to rise, climbing from 20 percent in the 2004 election to 30 percent in 2008.



While Kentucky doesn’t allow for no-excuse early voting, it is surrounded by states that do. Indiana’s early voting opened Sept. 17, and Ohio’s begins Oct. 2.

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Kentucky allows for people to vote early either via mail-in absentee ballot or absentee ballot at the clerk’s office, but they must cite one of several reasons listed in state statute for why they can’t vote on Election Day and sign an affidavit. Lying could result in a felony, clerks say.


The state statute specifies seven reasons for people to qualify for a mail-in absentee ballot, including being disabled, serving in the armed forces overseas and being out of town due to employment. The law specifies six reasons for being able to cast an absentee vote early by walking into the clerk’s office. People who can walk in and vote can cite surgery and temporary residence outside the state among the reasons. Women can qualify for walk-in absentee voting if they are in the last trimester of pregnancy.


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Some Kentucky lawmakers said they see value in preserving the tradition of Election Day. They argue that people who vote early wouldn’t have as much information as those who vote on Election Day.

Early voting would raise the price tag on campaigns since ads would have to start earlier, said State Rep. Adam Koenig, R-Erlanger.


“It benefits incumbents who are more apt and able to spend the money,” Koenig said. “Incumbents have more money to spend on radio and TV early.”

No, early voting benefits people who have to work for a living at low-paying jobs without paid leave and can't afford to take a Tuesday off work to vote. But repug Koenig is perfectly fine with those people not being able to vote.

State Rep. Carl Rollins, D-Midway, in 2010 tried to start a pilot program for counties to conduct elections by mail. State officials, however, estimated the pilot program would cost $1 million, and the legislation failed to get a hearing.


Rollins, however, sees merit in early voting in person.

“Unless the clerks would oppose it, I think it would be fairly easy to have one voting machine in the county courthouse, and in the time period of two weeks or so prior to election to allow people to go ahead and vote,” Rollins said.

Secretary of State Allison Lundergan Grimes recently returned from a visit to Kentucky troops overseas with the recommendation that those troops be allowed to vote by email.

Secretary Grimes: there are tens of thousands of Kentucky voters who find it just as difficult to vote on a Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. as overseas troops find it difficult to mail an absentee ballot. You've got obvious ambitions for higher office; why not set yourself apart with a campaign to open early voting in Kentucky?