Name: Kentucky secretary of state to nix no-excuse mail-in voting for November election
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Kentucky secretary of state to nix no-excuse mail-in voting for November election

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Louisville Courier JournalDespite rave reviews, Secretary of State Michael Adams doesn't want Kentucky to handle its general election the same way as its June primary, recommending stricter limits on who will be allowed to mail in&nbsp;their ballot this fall.Adams told The Courier Journal the preliminary plan he submitted this week to Gov. Andy Beshear doesn't recommend no-excuse absentee voting by mail —&nbsp;the method roughly 75% of the more than 1 million Kentucky voters used in the primary this summer.Kentucky's primary election and relatively trouble-free process during the heart of the coronavirus pandemic, and Adams himself hailed it as a success.But his new plan likely will put him at odds with Beshear, who has said he thinks Kentuckians should be able to cast absentee ballots by mail without needing a specific excuse for the Nov.&nbsp;3 presidential election.Kentucky allowed no-excuse mail-in primary voting as part of a bipartisan plan Adams and Beshear forged during the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic.Top headlines:"It's not so much an ideological concern, it's more of a practical concern," Adams said Tuesday of why he's suggesting a different approach. "I've heard from county clerks across the state, half of them Democrats. I've heard from the state Board of Elections staff, including Democrats. They doubt that we have the capacity — the infrastructure — to repeat June over again."Simply put, he thinks the commonwealth can't handle the expected crush of mailed ballots that no-excuse absentee voting would bring in the general election.Adams indicated it would be more manageable if only 33% to 40% of voters cast ballots by mail in November.As Adams has considered what to do about the upcoming election, COVID-19 cases in Kentucky have continued to grow through the summer to levels that surpass those from June."Why would we back off of it?" Beshear , adding that the pandemic is&nbsp;"more dangerous now" than it was earlier this year.While Adams has not released the full draft plan he sent&nbsp;Beshear, he told The Courier Journal&nbsp;it recommends a "generous" absentee voting policy&nbsp;that would let people request a mail-in absentee ballot if their age or a preexisting health condition&nbsp;makes them more vulnerable to COVID-19.Anyone who lives with at-risk individuals or who works in the health care field also would be able to request mail-in ballots under his preliminary plan.&nbsp;"My goal here is to protect people who are vulnerable based on age or health conditions," Adams said. "They may not be literally unable to vote in person, but they shouldn't because of their age or health status. And I leave that to the voter to make that sort of subjective decision."See also:Adams indicated voters wouldn't be required to provide information on any health issue that prompted them to ask for a&nbsp;mail-in ballot."That's protected health information," he said.&nbsp;"I think it should be up to the voter to decide whether he or she is safe voting in person or not."Adams also is calling for an expansion of in-person early voting, expressing confidence that counties will significantly expand the number of because of COVID-19 concerns and the lack of availability of poll workers."We've shown that we can conduct voting safely in person," he said, noting that more early voting could&nbsp;reduce the strain on the mail system and county clerks.Adams' reasoning for limiting&nbsp;mail-in voting in November echoed his testimony before a legislative committee in Frankfort two weeks ago&nbsp;when he said county clerks and the post office would not be able to handle&nbsp;the increased volume of absentee ballots for the presidential election.&nbsp;"They and I are concerned that going from 750,000 absentee ballots to 1.875 million absentee ballots, or more, would overload and crash our system," Adams told state lawmakers in July.Another change Adams would like to make is to&nbsp;require absentee ballots to arrive&nbsp;by Election Day, instead of counting any ballots that are postmarked by that date. The latter approach was used in the June primary, which is why it took about a week for the results to be determined.Earlier:He also is recommending the commonwealth provide "relief" to people for meeting their obligations under Senate Bill 2, a new law the Kentucky legislature passed this spring that requires voters to show&nbsp;photo identification to cast a ballot.Adams said the&nbsp;law was drafted before the COVID-19 pandemic, and he wants to make allowances for people who can't get the necessary ID during the public health crisis."I don't think the whole law should be suspended, but I do think that we need to be humane to people who, through no fault of their own, can't comply with it," he said.&nbsp;A federal seeks to block the voter ID&nbsp;law for the November election. Four Kentuckians to halt enforcement of the law and to require&nbsp;the state government to use&nbsp;the same absentee voting process it had in June for the November election.Reach reporter Morgan Watkins: 502-582-4502; mwatkins@courierjournal.com; Twitter:&nbsp;. Reach reporter Joe Sonka: jsonka@courierjournal.com; 502-582-4472; Twitter:&nbsp;.&nbsp;

Louisville Courier JournalDespite rave reviews, Secretary of State Michael Adams doesn't want Kentucky to handle its general election the same way as its June primary, recommending stricter limits on who will be allowed to mail in&nbsp;their ballot this fall.Adams told The Courier Journal the preliminary plan he submitted this week to Gov. Andy Beshear doesn't recommend no-excuse absentee voting by mail —&nbsp;the method roughly 75% of the more than 1 million Kentucky voters used in the primary this summer.Kentucky's primary election and relatively trouble-free process during the heart of...

Kentucky secretary of state to nix no-excuse mail-in voting for November election

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