Voters will see extra security at many Kentucky voting places as tense election ends
With the political mood in the country sour and heavy turnout expected, voters in some Kentucky counties will see more security at their polling places on Tuesday.
State and local election officials stressed that they have not heard of any specific threats related to the election but wanted to err on the side of caution in protecting election workers and voters.
Rockcastle County Clerk Danetta Ford Allen, for instance, said she had arranged for a greater presence at the county’s five polling places from local police and school resource officers.
It’s the first time she’s arranged to have police at the polls for security reasons on Election Day since taking office in 2011.
“Because of the tensions being high,” not so much in the rural county, but nationwide, said Allen, a Republican.
In neighboring Pulaski County, Clerk Tim Price said he had hired security officers for each of the nine polling places the county will have open on Tuesday, “just to deter anything from happening.”
Price, a Republican who took office in January 2023, said he had security people at voting places last year and poll workers liked it.
Voters in the county generally don’t cause problems, Price said, but noted there has been a lot of anger nationwide related to politics.
“If there was ever going to be a problem, it’ll be this election,” he said.
Former President Donald Trump will likely carry Kentucky by a wide margin, as he has the last two presidential election cycles, but elsewhere around the U.S. he is locked in a right race with Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee.
Tensions have been high and there have been acts of violence and threats around the country.
Authorities said someone burned ballot-collection boxes in Washington and Oregon, and police arrested an 18-year-old in Florida after he allegedly brandished a machete at two women holding signs supporting Harris
Grant County Clerk Tabatha Clemons, president of the Kentucky County Clerk’s Association, said some county clerks have had security people in polling places for some time, but that more counties will have security officers at the polls Tuesday.
The tone of the times isn’t the only reason.
With turnout Tuesday expected to be heavy, officers also will be available to help keep traffic flowing smoothly inside and outside polling places.
Clemons said having extra security certainly is not meant to intimidate voters.
“I don’t think people should be alarmed if they see an officer there,” Clemons said. “When you anticipate having a crowd you prepare differently.”
Rowan County Clerk Elwood Caudill Jr., a Democrat, said he had arranged to have police officers stationed in four of the county’s seven polling places all day on Election Day, for the first time, and to have patrols at the other three.
“I want to make sure tempers are in control,” Caudill said. “People don’t seem to get along as much as we used to.”
Caudill said he is particularly concerned about the potential for problems if people show up past when polls close at 6 p.m. and are turned away.
Anyone in line at 6 p.m. local time will be allowed to vote, but people who are not in line by that time can’t vote, Caudill said.
“It could get heated, possibly,” he said. He plans to have police at all seven polling places after 5:30 p.m.
Anderson County Clerk Jason Denny said he did extensive planning for the vote Tuesday, meeting with police and first responders and even going so far as to line up generators and mobile lighting to deal with a power failure if needed.
Denny, a Republican, has hired off-duty police officers for each of the four polling places that will be open Election Day.
Denny said he first put security officers at polling places for the 2023 primary.
He pointed to the extreme political division and acrimony as one reason for paying close attention to security measures.
“It was because of the uptick of what we hear nationwide,” he said. “I want to be prepared for anything. Hope I have.”
Boyd County Clerk Kevin Johnston, a Republican who has been in office since 2020, said he had arranged to have a deputy sheriff in each of the county’s voting locations during early voting last week and on Election Day.
It’s the first election he’s done that. Peace of mind for election workers and voters was the reason, he said.
“This one’s a little different,” Johnston said of the election. “I’d rather be safe than sorry.”
Meredith Watson, a deputy county clerk in Fayette County, said the office is not planning different security measures than in the past at its 132 voting locations.
The office has a great working relationship with the sheriff’s office and poll workers know they can call and get a quick response if needed, Watson said.
The office has a practice of sending a deputy sheriff with a deputy clerk on any call to fix a problem with a voting machine, and election officers are trained in techniques to deescalate tense situations, Watson said.
The clerk’s office in Jefferson County has worked with the sheriff’s office for years but is also working with the Louisville Metro Police Department this year to serve as a backup if more officers are needed, said Ashley Tinius, spokeswoman for the department.
Gov. Andy Beshear announced that Kentucky Emergency Management will have the state Emergency Operations Center open on Election Day, calling it an “extra step.”
Beshear said that was not because state officials perceived problems, but to be ready to respond more quickly if something happens.
“As your governor, my duty is to ensure that every Kentuckian feels secure in casting their vote free from fear or worry,” Beshear said.
