This week’s Primary Election is more than a one day event during this period of coronavirus. Election officials at the state and local levels have urged Kentuckians to vote by mail, with only limited in-person voting available.
Fayette County Elections Manager Tracy Merriman says thousands of ballots have been coming in, including some 7000 in one day. “But, everybody from all the other departments have been helping out, putting ballot packets together and getting them out to voters. So, it’s been a real team effort with the entire county clerk’s office to get these out, and then to get them back,” said Merriman.
Merriman said more than 90,000 ballots were sent out to voters and 50,000 have come back to the county clerk’s office. Merriman noted there were isolated incidents where voters received the wrong ballot in the mail. “Part of that again was the massive amount of ballots that we’re sending out and having to have people help us pack ballots who don’t normally do that. And the learning process and having to do that we have had a few ballots that went out that were the wrong party but when voters contacted us and we verified everything, we were able to correct those mistakes and give them their correct ballot,” explained Merriman.
Voter turnout four years ago in Fayette County was 23% and 12% eight years ago. Merriman said voter response as of Friday was already 38%. Is this a process she’d like to see every election?
“I really don’t know how I feel about it yet. We’re going to get through this one, and then I might have an opinion,” noted Merriman.
Voters mailing in a ballot still have one more day. Mail-in ballots must be postmarked June 23rd. Final election results may not be known for several more days.
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