LOUISVILLE, Ky. – With only one polling place intended for Louisville on Tuesday, voters who do not vote or appear early can face a long line in Kentucky’s main elections, most recently revealed in a pandemic that has sparked unprecedented election disruptions across country.
The results of the US Democratic Senate’s competitive primary election can survive if Election Day voters are hampered in Louisville – the hometown of Charles Booker, who has faced the final strong challenge against pioneer Amy McGrath.
“If Charles Booker barely loses, I think the integrity of the election is questionable,” Rep said. Jason Nemes state on Monday.
The primary winner will be against Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell, who is not expected to see a serious GOP major challenge, in November.
Republican secretary Michael Adams said he was “very optimistic” that long queues would not force people in Louisville to wait for hours before voting. The initial vote was opened in the entire state two weeks ago. That, along with strong requests for absentee ballots, could keep people in Louisville or elsewhere waiting long, Adams said Monday.
Nominations sue for more direct polling locations in the most populous states. A federal judge refused the request a few days before the election.
The surge in absentee ballots could lead to waiting for other types on Tuesday, as some countries said they would not release a total of votes before June 30.
Kentucky turned to the ballot via a broad letter in an agreement between Democratic governors and Adams in response to a coronavirus outbreak. But many voters who did not ask for absent ballots would head to the polls on Tuesday. Each region submitted plans to the state about how many polling stations to open. The main states are usually at the end of May but postponed.
Many states are pushing for their re-election to administer polls canceling attacks and polling station consolidation. They also find time to encourage more voters to vote who are not present.
New York also has a main Tuesday and has consolidated several voting sites. Erie County – home to the state’s second largest city, Buffalo – will see 40% fewer polling stations.
State election board spokesman John Conklin said he hoped the consolidation plan would have a “minimal” impact on the number and access of voters.
State election workers are trying to get 1.8 million absentee ballots to New Yorkers. Local electoral councils have struggled to process 11 times as many ballot applications as they did for the 2016 primaries without additional state funding, Conklin said.
In Louisville, a city of 600,000, the only place to vote directly on Election Day is at a state fair. In spite of the wave of voting by mail, there are those who prepare for long lines and frustration.
“There will be a number of people who want to vote tomorrow, but will be prevented from choosing because it is too difficult,” Nemes said.
That’s a special concern for Booker, who is black and relies on a high number in Louisville. He said his campaign would “oversee” and be ready to face legal challenges if needed.
“There shouldn’t be only one location,” Booker said. “That will only naturally deprive people of their rights.”
McGrath tried to join the suit demanding more than one polling location directly on Election Day in Louisville and other population centers, but a federal judge denied his campaign motion to intervene. McGrath also pushed to extend the deadline to request absentee ballots.
For those voters who could not get absent ballots, “You are now forced to queue at one polling place in the middle of a pandemic,” McGrath said. “If you were 82 years old, would you do that?”
In Lexington, the second largest city in the state, the polling location was at the University of Kentucky football stadium.
Louisville Metro Board Member Barbara Sexton Smith said she was worried about the prospect of long lines at the night market.
“In the 21st century America, it’s a shame that we make people make enormous and dangerous efforts, with the COVID pandemic, just to exercise their right to vote,” he said.
Richard Beliles, chairman of the Kentucky Common Cause council, said offering “so few polling stations for primary elections is irresponsible and unacceptable, and unfortunately that can be avoided.”
Georgia delayed the introduction twice to give election officials more time to prepare, sending the absentee ballot application to every active registered voter in the state. But it is not enough. When Georgia held its main event on June 9, Atlanta metro voters waited for up to 10 hours. As in Milwaukee and Philadelphia, many lines are centered in minority communities, triggering objections from advocates of voting.
Even in Nevada, where absentee ballots were sent to every registered voter for the June 9 general election, large-scale consolidation caused problems. The last voter in Las Vegas voted at 3am, eight hours after the election was supposed to close.
In Kentucky, Adams said: “There will be a line – 30, 45 minutes, maybe an hour, maybe longer.” He added: “We don’t think anyone will lose their rights.”
At the night market in Louisville, after being directed to a large hall, voters will wait in a line of space about six feet apart with chalk marks on the floor, before heading to cast their votes. A hand sanitation station is available when exiting the polling area.
Jefferson County, which includes Louisville, sent 218,404 absentee ballots to voters who requested them before the June 15 deadline, according to the county officer’s office. In comparison, around 125,000 people voted in the U.S. main Senate 2016 in Jefferson County in 2016.
The district also permits an initial live vote starting June 15 at the state exhibition arena. Last week, nearly 7,500 people entered and voted early between Monday and Friday, district spokesman Nore Ghibaudy said. Voters have also been allowed to vote directly at the regional electoral center near the city center since June 8.
More than 883,000 absentee ballots were requested throughout the state, with a little more than half being filled and sent, Governor Andy Beshear said. More than 88,000 Kentuck residents voted directly, he said.