Election Day voter turnout predictions earlier this fall placed response around 42%. As it turned out, 38% of Kentucky’s eligible voters cast a ballot. University of Kentucky Law Professor Josh Douglas said it’s difficult to isolate a specific reason for where turnout falls. However, he said an off-year election along with voter registration guidelines are two likely factors. Douglas noted two-thirds of the states have Election Day registration. The election process scholar added Kentucky’s General Assembly is not likely to enact that kind of law in 2024.
“I have little confidence that the legislature would be interested in that. I think they might be interested in reducing the registration deadline a little bit and I think that would be a positive move,” said Douglas.
Currently, to participate, Kentuckians must register to vote almost a month before the election. In states which have same-day registration, Douglas says there’s been no reports of election fraud or voting administration problems.
There have been some small community-level pilot projects where phone apps were used to vote. Douglas thinks that step toward voting convenience is still being scrutinized.
“Most experts agree security is not there yet and although it seemed to work ok at these smaller scale city elections in the places that have done trials with it, it’s not quite there for statewide or nationwide implementation,” said Douglas.
The two gubernatorial candidates in Kentucky’s race spent more than $60 million combined during their campaigns. Douglas said Andy Beshear supporters might say it was worth it. He says being bombarded with negative ads can turn some voters off. Douglas said early voting opportunities can help to boost voter turnout.
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