Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes is predicting a similar turnout to Kentucky’s last gubernatorial election for the Nov. 5 general election.
Grimes believes about 31 percent of the nearly 3,451,537 registered voters will head to the polls next Tuesday.
“Based on current absentee voting, I believe turnout will be at or above the 2015 general election,” Grimes said. “It’s simply not OK that only a small portion of Kentuckians will possibly elect our next constitutional officers. Our democracy depends on people showing up to the polls to make their voices heard. I challenge all registered voters to get up, get out and get loud, and exercise their right to vote on Tuesday.”
As of Monday, nearly 19,318 voters had voted in person on machines in county clerks’ offices or were sent absentee ballots. Approximately 8,169 of the 13,967 mail-in absentee ballots that have been issued, had been returned.
The deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail was Tuesday, but eligible voters can still cast absentee ballots at their county clerk’s office, through Monday.
Grimes predicts that around one million voters will turn out statewide on Election Day, which would be up from 982,328 statewide voter turnout in the 2015 General Election, which was 30.7 percent of registered voters.
Franklin County, which includes Frankfort, traditionally is one of the highest turnout counties in the state for each election, if not the leader. Franklin County Clerk Jeff Hancock says, “Based on past performance, I predict a 51 to 55 percent turnout.”
Hancock says he does not rely on absentee balloting to make his forecast, but characterized absentee turnout, “On a scale of light, moderate and heavy, I’d say it’s between moderate and heavy.”
Grimes encourages voters to prepare for voting on Nov. 5 by checking their polling places and viewing sample ballots at GoVoteKY.com, Kentucky’s one-stop portal for voters.
By Tom Latek, Kentucky Today
