In Louisville, Secretary Grimes Highlights Early Success of GoVoteKY.com
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (March 31, 2016) – Secretary of State Alison Lundergan today said the Commonwealth’s new online voter registration portal, GoVoteKY.com, is already a major success after launching two weeks ago. More than 12,000 Kentuckians have used the portal to register to vote or update their registration, she told a crowd at a University of Louisville town hall.
Grimes is promoting GoVoteKY.com as part of a statewide tour encouraging Kentuckians to register to vote using the portal and to participate in the upcoming Primary Election.
“Kentuckians are realizing just how easy it is to use GoVoteKY.com to register to vote and to update their registration,” said Grimes. “Already we’ve seen more than 500 18-year-olds register for the first time – including many here at UofL – and even a 98-year-old has used the system to update her registration.”
Rep. John Yarmuth, who represents Louisville in Congress, said he hopes Kentuckians will use the online portal and exercise their right to vote on Election Day.
“Giving Kentuckians the ability to register to vote and update their registration online makes it easier for them to be a part of the electoral process and have a say in what they want their government to be,” said Yarmuth. “We need to do all we can to make it easier for voters to exercise their rights and protect the democracy we’re so lucky to have. I’m glad to join Secretary Grimes in promoting GoVoteKY.com to make sure everyone’s voice can be heard.”
Several students used the portal at the town hall to register to vote. Attendees discussed the portal’s ease of use, accessibility, and other election issues. Grimes said GoVoteKY.com will improve the accuracy of voter rolls and will lead to major cost savings for the Commonwealth.
“The University of Louisville Student Government and our student organizations work to increase civic participation and student engagement, so online voter registration will be a valuable tool for us,” said Aaron Vance, University of Louisville student body president-elect. “Having organized voter registration drives and initiatives, I know firsthand how tedious and laborious the paper process can be. GoVoteKY.com helps to alleviate and streamline the process.”
Grimes has worked to make the process convenient in order to get more citizens registered to vote. Surprisingly, close to one-third of eligible Kentuckians are not registered to vote, Grimes said. The statistics are even more dire amongst youth and minorities.
In the 2015 General Election, 34.5 percent of the 559,399 total registered voters in Jefferson County voted on Election Day.
“While Jefferson County turned out at a rate higher than most of Kentucky, 70 percent of Kentuckians did not show up and participate,” said Grimes. “What we want – and what Kentucky needs – is for more citizens to take the first step to get registered at GoVoteKY.com, and then actually vote on Election Day.”
Grimes’ tour began at Northern Kentucky University and includes stops at each of Kentucky’s public universities ahead of the April 18 deadline to register to vote for the May 17 Primary Election. More information about tour is available at sos.ky.gov.