Kentucky latest to expand mail voting in response to pandemic

image
Created: 28 Apr, 2020
Updated: 14 Aug, 2022
1 min read

Originally published on The Fulcrum.

All Kentuckians will get the chance to vote by mail in the June 23 primary under a deal worked out between Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, and Secretary of State Michael Adams, a Republican.

The switch is an attempt to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Kentucky is now the 10th state that normally strictly limits mail-in voting, but will make it nearly universal during the pandemic.

Thirty-four states allow everyone to vote absentee without citing a reason, a number that has increased rapidly in recent years. Kentucky's move leaves just six — Connecticut, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas — requiring an excuse to vote by mail without an accommodation during the public health crisis.

Beshear issued his executive order Friday based on recommendations by Adams. It allows voters to request absentee ballots online, through a new secure portal the state will create, and return them starting 15 days ahead of time. It also says drive-through voting stations will be set up to reduce congestion and maintain social distancing on Election Day.

In addition, state election officials are sending a postcard to every eligible voter telling them they have the option of using an absentee ballot.

Beshear and Adams had already agreed to delay the primary from May 19 to June 23.

Adams had opposed mail-in voting last year but said the coronavirus pandemic now made it necessary.

IVP Donate

Latest articles

Rand Paul
Why Rand Paul Calls Trump's Tariffs a Harmful Tax on Americans
Republican Senator Rand Paul has once again voiced his strong opposition to tariffs imposed by former President Donald Trump and has joined a handful of Republicans willing to vote against them in the Senate....
03 Apr, 2025
-
2 min read
Hand sticking ballot in ballot box.
Same Election: Voter ID Wins Big; GOP Loses Big
Many have seen the story out of Wisconsin: Susan Crawford defied record-breaking spending by Super PACs to win the April 1 state Supreme Court election. “Crawford beat Musk,” is the headline after the world’s richest man poured millions into the race to defeat her, while liberal billionaires also opened up their own pocketbooks for Crawford....
03 Apr, 2025
-
3 min read
Image of a gavel and legal professionals at a desk.
A Recent Court Decision Could Reshape the Legal Battle over Closed Primaries
Litigation is often seen as a zero-sum game of wins and losses. In that lens, a recent 11th Circuit decision that upholds Florida’s closed primary system has been declared another win for political parties and closed primaries. But it’s the wrong framing....
03 Apr, 2025
-
4 min read