Kentucky’s Secretary of State website is suddenly missing absentee ballot content. Kentucky is among the strictest excuse absentee ballot states.
I last checked the only URL where the state provided limited information to voters.
https://elect.ky.gov/Frequently-Asked-Questions/Pages/Absentee-Voting.aspx
Coincidentally (or not) I checked it today on July 29, 2020, yesterday was Vote By Mail Day, to find the content missing.
Is it a blip or an attempt to suppress mail vote registration? Given the very public attempt by the GOP to block the expansion of absentee voting during Covid-19, I’m going to guess it was intentional. Yes, during a pandemic!
“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,” Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams said.
As a web developer myself, I know that content does not blip from a page. Especially if it’s only text. This occurred on desktop and I did find someone was able to pull up the page with content on their mobile device. It’s possible that two versions of a site are shown to desktop and mobile users (if you update one you must update the other). Old content on a web page can show or not show due to caching issues. Who knows!
The good news is that I had captured Kentucky absentee ballot information here. Assuming nothing has changed here are the highlights.
Kentucky No Excuse Absentee Ballot Information
- The voter registration deadline for the November General Election to vote Mitch McConnell out of Kentucky and Trump out of the Whitehouse is October 5th at 4pm local time
- Register to vote in Kentucky online
- Kentucky is an excuse absentee ballot state
- They do not make it easy to apply, there were no forms on the SOS website
- Contact your county clerks office to request a form, find Kentucky voting official contact information here
- Make sure you are registered to vote first before applying for an absentee ballot
Some of the qualifying excuses included:
- Those advanced in age
- Snowbirds
- Sick or disabled
- Those having surgery requiring hospitalization
- Pregnant women in “third trimester”
- Election staff
Why wealthy voters with more than one home to travel to in the summer and winter get this privilege while OTHERS MUST RISK THEIR HEALTH TO VOTE is baffling.
Who dictated which trimester of pregnancy justifies not going to the polls? The men who write these rules should know better. We get morning sickness in the first trimester.
Get details on mail vote in Kentucky and other states here.
Kentucky Absentee Ballot Application Tips for Success
- Be sure you are currently registered to vote with your correct address
- Select “general election” or “all elections” to include the November 2020 Presidential Election
- Meet the “must be received by” deadline (not postmark)
- Submit the application using an approved method of delivery
- For mail submission, check that you have the correct address for your voting official (the official for the voter if you are helping a family member)
- Remember to sign it and check for witness or notary requirements, if any
- Include required copies of ID and documentation, if any
- Snap a photo or scan a copy of your form before sending it, and send the original not a copy
- Ballots must be received on election day before the polls close – not postmarked by more
When Casting Your Kentucky Absentee Ballot
Keep in mind that your absentee ballot application is not your ballot. Once received and accepted, you’ll wait to receive your actual ballot in the mail. Important tips to ensure your ballot gets counted:
- Sign and date your ballot
- Mail it to the correct address
- MAIL IT EARLY if possible at least a week prior to the election, ideally two weeks
- Mail it using USPS not private carriers
- Don’t forget the stamp
- Check for any signature such as a witness or notary
- Check for any signature or ID requirements
- Take a photo of it or scan it for proof (mail the original exactly as instructed)
Sorry, but yes voting by mail means you’ll have to read the small print. It’s important. Do it!
Nobody should have to risk their health or life to vote.
Also see: Adams weighs scaling back mail-in voting eligibility for Kentucky’s 2020 general election
Follow Kentucky election news here
Visit the Kentucky Covid-19 portal
Who is running against Mitch McConnell?
A McBetter one. Amy McGrath is vying for Mitch McConnell’s seat in the November 2020 General Election.
Amy McGrath, a retired US Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel raised in Kentucky, is running for the US Senate to fix Washington and give Kentuckians back their voice.
Meet Amy and know that you can support her bid regardless of your voting state.
Disclosure: I have made a micro donation personally to Amy’s campaign. I forgot the amount but I can assure you it was micro.