‘Sweet spot:’ 17.5 percent of KY voters request mail-in ballots as deadline nears
About 17.5 percent of registered voters in Kentucky had requested an absentee ballot a day before the deadline, according to Secretary of State Michael Adams.
Friday, October 9, is the last day to request an absentee ballot. The online portal at www.govoteky.com will be available until 11:59 p.m.
Adams said the number of absentee ballots requested is “right in the sweet spot.”
“That’s enough that we see that it’s working, that the word is getting out, that voters who have concerns were able to utilize this effectively, but it’s also not so many that it will overwhelm the system,” Adams said.
Fayette County has the highest percentage of people who have requested an absentee ballot in the state at 36 percent, he said. Martin County, in Eastern Kentucky, has the lowest percentage, at 4 percent.
Monday was the deadline to register to vote in November’s election. Adams said roughly 30,000 people registered in the last day, bringing the total number of registered voters in Kentucky to 3,561,028.
Of the approximately 625,000 ballots that have been requested, 538,321 have been sent to voters so far. At least 144,749 ballots have already been returned to county clerks, Adams said.
So far, fewer ballots have been requested than during the June primary, even though Adams expects turnout to be 2.5 times higher in the general election than in the primary.
Fayette County Clerk Don Blevins has urged more people to request their ballots, citing concern about potential lines at Lexington’s eight polling places, which will open to in-person voting on October 13.
There have been 90,000 ballots requested in Fayette County. Blevins was hoping for 120,000.
Voters can track their ballot at www.govoteky.com.
