May 18, 2018
Grimes predicts 30 percent turnout for Tuesday primary; highest since 2010
Kentucky Press News Service
Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes is projecting a turnout of 30 percent or less of the 3.3 million people registered to vote in next week’s Primary Election.
Even though a 30 percent turnout sounds low, it would represent the highest participation in a Kentucky Primary Election in nearly a decade. Approximately 32 percent of Kentuckians voted in the 2010 midterm Primary Election, a news release from Grimes said.
“Next Tuesday, I think you will see a Kentucky electorate that is beginning to get up, get out, and get loud with voters making their voices heard at the polls,” Grimes said. “We have witnessed dismal levels of participation in the last few years – 20 percent in 2016, a presidential election, and only 12 percent in the last Governor’s race in 2015. This year, I think we could see the number of Kentuckians going to the polls improving.”
Grimes said she tracks absentee ballot totals as an indicator of final turnout on Election Day. According to current statistics, Grimes projects turnout for the May 22 Primary Election will be about par with the midterm elections of 2014 and 2010 when 26.8 percent and 32.2 percent of Kentuckians voted, respectively.
As of Monday, nearly 25,000 voters had voted in person on machines in county clerks’ offices and approximately 12,000 mail-in absentee ballots were sent to voters who had requested them.
DO’S AND DON’TS FOR ELECTION DAY
FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 18, 2018) – Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, Kentucky’s chief election official, is reminding voters of Election Day “Do’s and Don’ts” in advance of Kentucky’s election on May 22.
“This is a major midterm election year with races up and down the ballot from the federal to the local level,” said Grimes. “These tips will help voters get prepared and to help our elections run smoothly.”
· DO verify your voter registration status before you head to the polls. Registration status is available GoVoteKY.com, Kentucky’s one-stop voter portal.
· DO know where you vote. You can find the address of and driving directions to your polling location through GoVoteKY.com.
· DO know the most convenient times to vote. Polls tend to be busiest during the morning and evening rush hours and at lunchtime.
· DO bring appropriate identification to your polling location. You must either be known by a precinct officer or produce a driver’s license, social security card, credit card, or other form of identification that contains both a picture and signature in order to cast a ballot.
· DON’T wait until the last minute to head to the polls or be discouraged by long lines. Remember, as long as you are in line by 6 p.m. local time on May 22, you will be allowed to cast your ballot.
· DON’T record the identity of other voters in the voting room, including through the use of cameras and cell phones.
· DO ask a poll worker for instructions on how to use the voting machine or other procedural questions if you are confused about the voting process.
· DO let officials know immediately if you encounter any problems at the polls. You can address issues with your precinct election officers, the county clerk, the State Board of Elections at 502-573-7100, or the Attorney General’s Election Fraud Hotline at 1-800-328-VOTE.
· DON’T forget to thank your poll workers. It takes 15,000 to run an election, and the process would not be possible without them. They deserve our appreciation.
· DO remind your friends and family to vote. Our democratic society is at its best when all eligible voters participate in elections.
· DON’T forget that you can obtain election results by visiting GoVoteKY.com.
