Primary election day is a dozen days away, but by then, many Kentuckians will have already voted. Secretary of State Michael Adams said the absentee ballot request portal closed Tuesday at midnight and he expects the final total to match last May’s – about 18-thousand. He said absentee requests are a good predictor of total turnout.
“In last year's primary, we had turnout of 14.5 percent. And so, since we're tracking with similar numbers and absentee requests to a year ago, I'd say that we'll probably end up around that around 15%. I wish it were higher.”
Adams said primary turnout is usually higher during presidential election years, but both party’s nominees have wrapped up their races, and unlike 2020, there’s not a U.S. Senate race this year. Three days of early, no-excuse voting begin May 16. Adams said early voting numbers rose by nearly 50 percent from November of ’22 to last November, and he hopes that trend continues.
“Part of that is because it catches on through positive word of mouth. But part of that is, I went out of my way to encourage both the governor and the attorney general last fall to press their voters to vote early, so we wouldn't have lines on election day. And they both took me up on it.”
Adams noted President Biden has long been a supporter of early voting and his November opponent, former President Donald Trump, has recently eased his opposition to it.
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