Kentucky bracing for long lines in primary

Louisville has only one polling place

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — With only one polling place designated for Louisville today, voters who didn’t cast mail-in ballots or show up early could face long lines in Kentucky’s primary election, the latest to unfold in a pandemic that has triggered unprecedented election disruptions across the country.

The outcome of a competitive Democratic U.S. Senate primary could hang in the balance if Election Day turnout is hampered in Louisville — the hometown of Charles Booker, who has mounted a strong late challenge against presumed frontrunner Amy McGrath.

“If Charles Booker barely loses, I think the integrity of that election is in question,” Republican state Rep. Jason Nemes said Monday.

The winner of the primary will go against Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who isn’t expected to see a serious GOP primary challenge, in November.

The state’s Republican secretary of state, Michael Adams, said he’s “cautiously optimistic” that long lines won’t force people in Louisville to wait hours before voting. Early voting opened statewide two weeks ago. That, along with strong demand for absentee ballots, could spare people in Louisville or elsewhere from long waits, Adams said Monday.

Nemes sued to get more in-person voting locations in the state’s most populous counties. A federal judge denied the request several days before the election.

The surge of absentee ballots could cause waits of another sort Tuesday, as some counties have said they won’t release vote totals before June 30.

Kentucky turned to widespread mail-in absentee voting in an agreement between the Democratic governor and Adams in response to the coronavirus outbreak. But many voters not requesting absentee ballots will head to the polls Tuesday. Each county submitted a plan to the state on how many polling places to open. The state’s primary is typically in late May but was delayed.

Many states pushed their elections back to manage an onslaught of poll worker cancellations and consolidation of polling places. They also sought time to push more voters to cast absentee ballots.

New York also has a primary Tuesday and has consolidated some polling sites. Erie County — home to the state’s second-largest city, Buffalo — will see 40% fewer polling sites.

State board of elections spokesman John Conklin said he hopes the consolidation plan will have a “minimal” impact on voter turnout and access.

State election workers were trying to get 1.8 million absentee ballots into the hands of New Yorkers. County boards of elections have scrambled to process 11 times as many ballot applications as they did for the 2016 primaries without any extra state funding, Conklin said.

In Louisville, a city of 600,000, the only in-person voting place on Election Day is at the state fairgrounds. Despite waves of mail-in voting, some were bracing for long lines and frustration.

“There will be a number of people who want to vote tomorrow but will be discouraged from voting because it’s much too difficult,” Nemes said.

That’s of particular concern for Booker, who is Black and is counting on a high turnout in Louisville. He said his campaign would “keep a watchful eye” and stands ready to mount a legal challenge if needed.

“There should not have only been one location,” Booker said. “That will just naturally disenfranchise folks.”