Name: Kentucky election plan expands early voting, allows mail-in ballots for virus-concerned voters
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Kentucky election plan expands early voting, allows mail-in ballots for virus-concerned voters

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Louisville Courier JournalFRANKFORT, Ky.&nbsp;—&nbsp;Kentucky will allow anyone concerned about catching or spreading the coronavirus to vote by mail in the Nov. 3 general election, part of a larger plan announced Friday that also expands early voting.The compromise, negotiated by&nbsp;Gov. Andy Beshear and Secretary of State Michael Adams, eliminates the&nbsp;no-excuse absentee voting by mail that Kentucky used so successfully in the June primary.But it provides Kentucky voters a relatively easy out if they want to skip in-person voting — they can request an absentee ballot by stating they are afraid of contracting or passing on the virus.&nbsp;There is no age limit for who can request an absentee ballot, Adams said."It's the voter's subjective decision whether the voter is of an age and health condition that makes the risks unacceptable to that voter," he said.Beshear, a Democrat, praised Adams, a Republican, for "putting ideology on the shelf.""I don't really think that this was too much of a negotiation going back and forth (on Adams' plan)," Beshear said Friday.&nbsp;"I think we both wanted a successful election where we could protect people's health, and did what we believe will be one of the larger turnouts we've seen because of there are so many options to vote."Related coverage:The state will have a portal running within a week to request absentee ballots. It will close in October. After that, voters can still request ballots through county clerks' offices.All ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3 and received by county clerks by Nov. 6. County clerks will have drop-off boxes for those concerned about sending in their ballots by mail.In addition, starting Oct. 13, registered voters will have the option to cast their ballot early in person for three weeks heading into Nov. 3. Those polls will be open Monday through Saturday.Each county's election officials also will submit plans for Election Day on the number of voting locations, which Beshear, Adams and the State Board of Education will approve.In addition, each county will have a voting "super-center," where every voter in that county can go, regardless of their precinct. Jefferson County opened a similar center for the June primary at the Kentucky Exposition Center.A photo voter ID bill, this past legislative session, will go into effect for the November elections.Latest numbers:However, Adams said that people who have been unable to obtain a photo ID because of the pandemic&nbsp;but who have a different form of ID&nbsp;will still be able to vote&nbsp;— so long as they sign a document explaining why they were unable to get the required ID.The online portal for applying for absentee ballots is linked to a driver's license database for Kentucky, meaning those voters with a driver's license will not have to scan in their photo IDs to receive a ballot, Adams said.Adams also said all county clerks will be required to count and report all mail-in ballots received by election night, meaning that, unlike in the primaries when final results were reported one week after Election Day, there should be a shorter wait.Another change Adams noted is that county clerks will be required to contact voters whose absentee ballots do not contain signatures or those who have mismatched signatures&nbsp;until Nov. 9 to cure their ballots.In the primary, &nbsp;because of voter error&nbsp;— Adams said this change can help reduce that number.This announcement comes as the nation is in the middle of a major debate over the effectiveness of the expanded use of mail-in ballots amid the pandemic.President Donald Trump has repeatedly made claims, without proof, that voting by mail will lead to fraudulent results. And a , caused by cost-saving measures, has caused concern that ballots won't arrive in time to county clerks.Beshear said Friday he has "faith in the Postal Service" that it can properly handle election mail.Adams said he hopes more people who are comfortable will vote in person for the Nov. 3 elections, in part to take some pressure off the Postal Service and county clerks.Gerth:In April, Beshear and Adams also&nbsp;for the primary that allowed for universal mail-in voting for all who requested an absentee ballot.Roughly 75% of the more than&nbsp;1 million Kentucky voters used that method this summer, leading to the highest turnout rate of registered voters in a primary since 2008Adams that he did not recommend no-excuse mail-in voting because county clerks likely wouldn't be able to handle a major influx of absentee ballots."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.Meanwhile, Beshear has spoken in favor of no-excuse absentee voting."Why would we back off of it?" the governor recently said, adding that the pandemic is&nbsp;"more dangerous now" than it was earlier this year.Several election experts applauded the plan Friday afternoon.Joshua Douglas, an election law and voting rights professor at the&nbsp;University of Kentucky Rosenberg College of Law, said the plan is "very good news.""Both sides should claim victory: Technically, an excuse is required, but every voter has a valid excuse if they believe that voting in person will subject them to an unreasonable risk of harm from the coronavirus," Douglas wrote in a tweet.Former Secretary of State Trey Grayson, a Republican, took to Twitter to congratulate Adams, Beshear and the State Board of Elections for "once again working across party lines to develop a well-thought-out plan for our November election.""Proud of all involved," Grayson wrote.2020 elections:Contact Ben Tobin at &nbsp;and&nbsp;502-377-5675 or follow him on Twitter .&nbsp;Reach reporter Joe Sonka at jsonka@courierjournal.com or 502-582-4472&nbsp;and follow him on Twitter at&nbsp;.

Louisville Courier JournalFRANKFORT, Ky.&nbsp;—&nbsp;Kentucky will allow anyone concerned about catching or spreading the coronavirus to vote by mail in the Nov. 3 general election, part of a larger plan announced Friday that also expands early voting.The compromise, negotiated by&nbsp;Gov. Andy Beshear and Secretary of State Michael Adams, eliminates the&nbsp;no-excuse absentee voting by mail that Kentucky used so successfully in the June primary.But it provides Kentucky voters a relatively easy out if they want to skip in-person voting — they can request an absentee ballot by stating they...

Kentucky election plan expands early voting, allows mail-in ballots for virus-concerned voters

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