County, state pick up new registered voters as election looms
Published 9:12 am Thursday, October 26, 2023
- Voting booths are set up for voters on Nov. 2, the final day of early voting, in the Boyle County courthouse. A large “vote here” sign hangs above the door frame. “It was lined up almost halfway down the hall at 8 o’ clock this morning,” said Heather Ramey, a deputy clerk in the Boyle County Clerk’s office. They opened the doors at 8:30, she said. People wore masks and were required to social distance as they waited in line. On Election Day, Nov. 3, Ramey said voters will need to go to polling locations to vote and will no longer be able to vote in the courthouse. - Photo by Olivia Mohr
NEWS REPORT
Secretary of State Michael Adams announced on Friday that voter registration surged in the 10 days before the voter registration deadline, with 6,462 voters registering in October, a trend that was reflected locally in Boyle County.
During that same time period, Kentucky saw 1,803 voters removed for a variety of reasons. Deceased voters accounted 1,617 removals, 145 moved out of state and registered to vote elsewhere, 21 were adjudged mentally incompetent and 20 voluntarily de-registered.
In Boyle County, the number of registered voters climbed from 22,920 in September to 22,955 by Oct. 10. There are more registered Republican voters in Boyle County (10,674) than Democratic (10,076). The number of registered voters in both parties is up slightly in October, with Republican gaining 21 new registered voters and Democrats picking up four.
With the deadline now passed, Republican registrants account for 46% of the electorate, with 1,602,958 voters. Republican registration increased by 2,678 voters, a .17% increase. Democratic registrants now make up 44% of the electorate, with 1,527,115 voters. Democratic registration rose by 823 voters, a .05% increase. In addition, there are 354,754 voters registered under other political parties, or 10% of the electorate. “Other” registration continued to outstrip both Democrats and Republicans, rising by 1,158 voters, a .33% increase.
“Voter registration is just the start,” Adams stated, “don’t forget to vote on November 7.”
There are several ways to cast your ballot.
The first is absentee voting by mail. During the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone was eligible to request a mail-in ballot. However, that returned to the original requirements, both for absentee ballot by mail and in-person excused absentee voting. Go to vrsws.sos.ky.gov/abrweb/. That also has a link to the portal where you can request an absentee ballot by mail. That portal will remain open through next Tuesday, October 24.
After that date, you’ll still have three other ways to cast your ballot:
• Excused In-person Absentee Voting before Election Day, Oct. 25-Nov. 1.
• In-person No Excuse Absentee Voting before Election Day, Nov. 2-4.
• In-person on Election Day, Nov. 7.
Since the pandemic, the number of polling places have been reduced, but you can now go to any location in your county. The complete list of locations is at elect.ky.gov/Voters/Pages/Polling-Locations.aspx.
The state’s Constitutional officers are all on the November ballot, including the Governor and Lt. Gov. slate, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Auditor, Treasurer and Agriculture Commissioner.
There are also circuit judge races in the 21st and 44th Circuits, family court judge in the 30th Circuit, a district judge in the 26th District and a special election for the 93rd District House seat in Fayette County.
