Lexington names six polling locations for in-person voting in November election
Fayette County residents will be able to vote in-person at six polling locations, Fayette County Clerk Don Blevins announced Thursday afternoon.
The sites, which are spread throughout the county, are at Bluegrass Community and Technical College at Leestown, the Lexington Senior Center, the Dunbar Center and the Northside, Tates Creek and Beaumont branches of the Lexington Public Library. People will be able to vote at any of the six locations.
“Voting is a little different this year, but don’t let that stop you,” said Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton. “Make your plans to vote and vote early if you can.”
Starting Tuesday, October 13, the locations will be open 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. They will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Election Day, which is November 3.
The Lexington locations are comparatively small to those in Jefferson County, which is using the Kentucky Exposition Center and the Yum! Center as two of its eight polling locations.
Blevins said he had trouble finding large locations for people to vote in Lexington, since UK football is playing this fall and the convention center is still under construction. Blevins was not able to use public schools because they would have to close to in-person traffic for three weeks of in-person voting.
“That’s all that’s available,” Blevins said of the Lexington locations. “When you eliminate Rupp Arena, plus the civic center, plus the schools, you’re left with slim pickings.”
Blevins said he had to rule out churches and clubhouses as well because of security concerns.
Lexington voters faced long lines in the primary at Commonwealth Stadium, the county’s sole voting location. Some voters had to wait more than two hours, drawing attention from across the country.
“Don’t wait until Election Day,” Blevins said. “You’re going to have a bad day if you do that.”
Blevins encouraged people to vote by mail, saying that in June’s primary election around 95 percent of the ballots were cast by mail. He said the clerk’s office started mailing out ballots this week. A ballot can be requested at www.govoteky.com.
There also will be six drop-boxes for people who want to drop off mail-in ballots, located at the three library branches, the senior center and the County Clerk’s office on Main Street. The sixth dropbox location has not yet been announced. They will be heavy gauge steel, bolted to the ground and located under surveillance.
“I know there’s a lot of concern about the post office being able to handle the capacity we’re about to throw at them,” Blevins said.
As of Thursday morning, 52,000 voters in Fayette County had requested mail-in ballots. In the primary, Fayette County received 20 percent of its mail-in ballots on Election Day.
This story was originally published September 17, 2020 at 1:01 PM.
