County Clerk: New Voting Locations For Some, Important Voting Information for Upcoming Primary

Edmonson Voice Report:
The Primary election season for 2024 in Edmonson County is underway, with the Absentee Portal opening on April 6th, and remaining open until May 7th.  Individuals wishing to vote through the mail may request their ballot, providing a valid excuse, by going to govote.ky.gov.  Those wishing to get registered to vote have through the end of day on Monday, April 22nd.  
 
Clerk Kevin M. Alexander said the upcoming voting cycle will result in several citizens voting in different voting locations, due in part to reapportionment that was completed last year.  Reapportionment is required every ten years pursuant to KRS 67.045, when census data is used to reestablish boundary lines of magistrate districts. 
 
“Reapportionment resulted in some changes in the districts that made it important for the County Board of Elections to establish two new voting precincts” Alexander said.
 
A letter is being mailed out to every voter in the county detailing their voting location going forward, location address, voter's magistrate, and their school board member. 
 
“We felt this informative mailer was something that needed to be done.  Obviously, it takes a while to get all the approved paperwork from Frankfort, and we are one of 120 counties” Alexander added.  “We now have everyone in their correct precinct, so registered voters should be receiving these letters soon.”
 
One precinct change is that residents of the city of Brownsville, on both the north and south side of Green River, will now vote in the Community Center at Brownsville on Election Day.  The other precinct change was the establishment of a polling location at Bee Spring Park for voters in Bee Spring.
 
“Because of previous district lines we’ve had Brownsville residents voting at the Edmonson County Middle School and at Bear Creek for the last ten plus years, so now having them at one location will be easier” said Alexander. 
 
He added that because of the shift in population to the south side of Edmonson County, it made for a larger geographic district in District Five, necessitating a second precinct in Bee Spring. 
 
“The County Board of Elections felt like the people in Bee Spring should have their own polling location instead of having to drive to Lincoln to go vote” Alexander added. “Our Fiscal Court owns a nice, fairly new building at Bee Spring Park that people can vote at and not drive as far.”

Additionally, for the first time, the county will have one vote center, at the Community Center, where any resident of the county can come in to vote on Election Day.
 
“Originally, with the bridge re-construction on Highway 70 near the Bear Creek polling location, we were concerned several voters in District Six we going to have to drive much further to go vote.  Although that bridge has been completed much earlier than anticipated, we had already decided to provide this option to not just Bear Creek voters but to voters countywide” Alexander said.
 
From May 8-May 10, and again from May 13-15, excused early voting will be conducted at the usual location in the Community Center.  Voting during these requires voters to complete a form explaining why they are unable to either early vote or vote on Election Day.  These six days, voting will be offered during the Clerk’s Office’s regular business hours.  On Thursday May 16th through Saturday, May 18th, no excuse early voting will also be available at the Community Center.  On both Thursday and Saturday, the voting location will be open from 8:00 AM-4:00 PM.  On Friday, May 17th, voters can come in until 5:00 PM. 
 
“It is not a particularly large ballot this time, but there are important races and a very important question on the ballot in the Lincoln precinct, regarding the wet/dry vote” Alexander noted.  “We are prepared for a good turnout.”