The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many aspects of our day-to-day lives. In light of the overwhelming amount of information floating around, we wanted to offer a handful of quick resources and relevant updates that might be useful to our readers. Keep in mind that details are changing quickly; check the websites outlined below for the most up-to-date information.
How to Vote In the June 23 Primary Election
In an attempt to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the Kentucky State Board of Elections has expanded mail-in voting options to all Kentuckians for the June 23 primary election. While registered voters are highly encouraged to vote by absentee ballot, limited in-person voting options will also be available.
These are the four ways to vote in the upcoming primary, as outlined on the Kentucky State Board of Elections website:
• Absentee by mail
• Hand-delivery of absentee ballot
• Vote early in-person (appointment with county clerk recommended)
• Vote on election day in-person (appointment with county clerk recommended)
Each registered voter will receive a postcard in the mail with this information. Contact the Fayette County Clerk for more information on in-person voting options.
In order to vote by absentee ballot, registered voters must request that an absentee ballot be sent to them. June 15 is the deadline to make that request through the State Board of Elections’ secure online portal (elect.ky.gov); after that window, registered voters can request an absentee ballot from their local county clerk office until June 23. All ballots must be postmarked by June 23, or returned by hand to a registered polling location by 6 p.m. that day.
County clerks will match the signature on an absentee ballot envelope to the voter’s signature of record, and voters whose signatures do not match will be provided an opportunity to correct the mismatch. In order to more expeditiously clean up its voter rolls, the state will proactively contact registered voters who have moved out-of-state in an effort to obtain permission to remove them from the rolls.
Voters are encouraged to visit the State Board of Elections’ website — elect.ky.gov — to verify that their voter registration information is correct (name, address, party, etc.) before requesting a ballot.
New Lexington Election Resource Website To Launch On June 1
Representatives from a handful of local organizations (including Smiley Pete Publishing, this magazine’s parent company) are collaborating in support of a new Lexington-based voting resource spearheaded by CivicLex and Fayette Alliance. Set to launch June 1, LexVote (lex.vote) will be a central online hub housing information about local candidates, as well as voter resources for local elections.
At its launch, the website will focus on the June 23 primary election, providing resources for how to vote in this election, which will look very different from past elections due to the expansion of absentee, mail-in voting options, and limited in-person voting options. The LexVote website will also feature questionnaires with candidates for Lexington’s 3rd District and 9th District Council races, which are the two Lexington races featured in the upcoming primary election. The questionnaires cover a variety of topics, including affordable housing, growth and development, economic recovery, public safety and more.
Council Districts 5, 6 and 8 will feature candidates in the general election on Nov. 3, but not the primary, since there are only two candidates running for each of those seats. The top two vote-getters for Districts 3 and 9 on June 23 will progress to the general election.