Some Kentuckians want to see the state continue the widespread use of absentee ballots for the fall general election due to ongoing coronavirus concerns.
“Despite the success of expanded, no-excuse absentee voting in Kentucky’s June primary election, state officials have not taken action to use the same rules to make voting safe for the general election during the COVID-19 pandemic,” plaintiffs said in their explanation for a lawsuit against Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams.
Thanks to a bipartisan deal struck between Gov. Andy Beshear and Adams, Kentuckians were allowed to request an absentee ballot or vote early in Tuesday’s primary without an excuse.
Nearly a million people requested absentee ballots and close to 70% returned them before Tuesday. More than 160,000 voted in person statewide on election day, and an additional 110,000 voted early. Those numbers suggest a turnout rate of about 25%.
But Adams said in June that state law prevents him from allowing expanded absentee voting for the general election in November unless Kentucky is still in a state of emergency because of COVID-19.
“If the government’s reopening, society’s reopening, the private sector, parks, pools, if Kentucky is open there’s no reason I have, there’s no basis I have to use my emergency power to allow absentee voting,” Adams said.
(Click here to read the lawsuit)
The four plaintiffs who filed the lawsuit against Adams say they have health conditions, which they outline in the filing and their concerns amid the COVID-19 public health emergency.
According to the effort, the group explains that Beshear could issue another executive order that would allow every registered Kentucky voter to qualify to vote by mail.
Cecilia Aguilera, a voting rights attorney working with the plaintiffs, tweeted that the lawsuit was filed so that “voters at increased risk from #COVID19 can vote safely through the duration of the pandemic.”Read More