The deadline to register to vote in Kentucky for the November general election is Monday at 4 p.m.
Secretary of State Michael Adams says the state’s number of registered voters had risen to 3,517,567 as of August 31, and that during the past month, there has been a rise of 19,626 registered voters, or 0.56 percent.
“With the pandemic making voter registration drives difficult, my office has stepped up to help register new voters before the October 5 deadline,” said Adams.
Additionally, as part of his commitment to clean up the voter rolls, 34,967 voters have been removed since he took office in January. In August, 2,724 voters who are felons, nonresidents or deceased were removed.
Click image to go to website to register to vote. DEADLINE IS MONDAY, OCTOBER 5
The big task ahead is preparing for the election itself. Under state law, Adams, a Republican, worked together with Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, to come up with the plan for both the primary and general elections, with numerous changes, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Many counties had only one polling place open on primary election day, including Kentucky’s two largest, Jefferson and Fayette, and both Adams and Beshear wanted more.
According to Miranda Combs, communications director for the secretary of state’s office, Secretary Adams’ statewide initiative to recruit poll workers has succeeded beyond expectations, with 5,000 volunteers through govoteky.com.
However, they are not equally distributed, she says, and many counties still need poll workers.
For example, Campbell County has 231 volunteers through govoteky.com, while similarly sized Bullitt County has only 63. That’s why Campbell County has been able to reopen all precincts and Bullitt County has not.
Combs says as of noon on Thursday, Adams had approved 111 county plans for in-person polling places on election day. Still under review are Bullitt, Fayette, Hardin, Jefferson, Monroe, Montgomery, Pike and Whitley. No plan had been received from Owsley County as of that time.
PPE will be provided to precinct workers and voters at all polling locations on election day itself.
