As a member of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth (KFTC), I recently volunteered to register voters at Grace Cafe. One gentleman told me that he had heard a story on the news about a purge of the Kentucky voter rolls. He decided to check his registration, even though the purge was supposed to be targeted at non-voters and he had a solid voting record.

Turns out he was not registered; his name had been purged without any notice. So, he filled out a voter registration card and checked the box “New Registration” (we were not sure about this as he was previously a registered voter) and I submitted the card to county clerk’s office, with an explanation of the purge and advised that the new registration was acceptable.

I understand the desire to “clean up” the voter rolls as people move/die/do not update their voter registration, but there is no statute of limitations on our voting registrations and our names should not be purged without an attempt to verify the voter’s status. When I got home, I checked my voter registration and my record was still there.

I strongly suggest that everyone who believes they are currently registered to vote check your registration status and update any information that may have changed (last name, address, party affiliation). It is easy to do on-line, go to the KY Secretary of State’s website, https://vrsws.sos.ky.gov/ovrweb, enter your legal name (no nicknames) and your date of birth. The website will tell you if you are registered, your party affiliation, and where you will vote in November.

The deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 5 state offices election is Oct. 7. If you are not registered, you can do so in person at the county clerk’s office, at a voter registration drive, or on-line at GoVoteKY.com by Oct. 7. I would say “use it or lose it” but this recent purge shows we need to be vigilant and confirm that we were not purged without cause. See you at the polls!

Julie Pease

Danville