You’ve probably heard there’s a gubernatorial election coming up.
But wait. It’s 2023. Why are we voting for governor in an off-year?
Kentucky is one of only three states that holds off-year gubernatorial elections. Along with Louisiana and Mississippi, the state’s highest office will be decided during a year when voters won’t already be coming to the polls to cast their ballots for president or congressional races.
Which can mean much lower turnout, according to local voting data and former Northern Kentucky political science professor Ryan Salzman.
In the 2019 election, for example, voter turnout was just under 40% in Campbell County, according to data from the state board of elections. But for the presidential race in 2020? Turnout was over 60%.
The same holds true at the national level: About 60% of the voting-eligible population casts ballots during presidential elections, according to Fair Vote, a nonprofit that advocates for electoral reform. That drops to 40% for midterm elections.
In a regular election year, people canvassing for a presidential or congressional candidate could also be given materials for a state race.
“You’re able to take advantage of these electoral machines that are going,” Salzman said. “When you have an election in an odd year, there are only these few offices that are up, and that means that these campaigns have to do it all by themselves.”
On the other hand, having only a few campaigns running means they won’t get lost in the noise and dominance of federal and state legislative elections. This, too, can be a double-edged sword. Because there are fewer races, people pay less attention.
“You can’t piggyback, basically, on other races that are going on, on other get-out-the-vote campaigns that are happening locally and nationally,” Salzman said. “When you have mayors and judge/execs and state senators and the president all running, there’s a general wave and general momentum.”
On Nov. 7, other races Kentickians will be casting votes for are lieutenant governor (as part of the gubernatorial ticket), attorney general, secretary of state, agriculture commissioner, auditor and treasurer.
Why does Kentucky hold off-year elections?
One key reason is that Kentucky laws prohibit a candidate from appearing more than once on a ballot. Running in an off-year allows someone already in office to run for a different office without risk.
“It enables candidates who would be up normally for re-election to run for these races without giving up their seat,” Salzman said. “If you are a state representative and you have to run every two years, it would be impossible for you to run for governor or secretary of state if the election was held in an even election year, because then you would appear twice on the ballot.”
In 1872, the U.S. Congress moved to standardize elections for the House of Representatives. Over time, most states followed suit as a time- and cost-saving measure, Northwestern University Ph.D. history student Gideon Cohn-Postar told NPR in a story about off-year elections.
But a few held out. Kentucky was one of those states.
And while Frank Mathias, author of “Gubernatorial Politics in Kentucky,” told NPR that the change to odd-year elections in Kentucky was to “end the confusion of gubernatorial and presidential races at the same time,” it has had a clear impact on the numbers.
Turnout for the primaries in 2019 averaged 12% in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties, according to state election data; for the presidential election primary, turnout averaged 26.5%.
In both Boone and Kenton counties, voter turnout in the 2019 general election was about 40%. In 2020? It was just short of 60%.
What to know before you cast your ballot
During the pandemic, states got creative about providing options and workarounds for voters. For the most part, elections have returned to pre-pandemic voting options, but some changes have become permanent.
“What has changed due to the pandemic is early voting,” Salzman said. “We had instituted multiple weeks for early voting during the 2020 election, but then the Legislature adopted standing early-voting days in the aftermath of the pandemic. It’s three days – Thursday, Friday and Saturday – prior to the election.”
“No-excuse absentee” status has gone away, but a person can request an excused absentee ballot for a number of reasons, including being disabled, in the military, living overseas, a college student living on campus and many more situations. While the time to request an absentee ballot for the primary has passed, voters can visit govote.ky.gov or contact their county clerk’s office to find out if they are eligible to vote absentee.
Here’s a rundown of when and where you can cast your ballot in Kentucky:
Absentee Voting
Any resident from any county who wishes to vote using an absentee ballot can request a ballot by visiting govote.ky.gov and clicking on the first option on the menu. The website also has information about polling locations, registration status and sample ballots. The deadline to request a mail-in ballot was Oct. 24 at 11:59 p.m. Absentee ballots must be received by local boards of election by 6 p.m. on Election Day in order to be counted.
Northern Kentucky residents who wish to vote by mail should follow the instructions given to them in the ballot packets they receive in the mail upon making a ballot request.
Residents can also drop their absentee ballots into marked drop boxes at the locations below if they would rather not mail their ballots.
Boone County absentee ballot drop boxes:
- Boone County Clerk’s Office, 2950 Washington St., Burlington
- Florence Government Center, 8100 Ewing Blvd., Florence
Campbell County absentee ballot drop box:
- Campbell County Clerk’s Office, 8330 W. Main St., Alexandria
Kenton County absentee ballot drop boxes:
- Kenton County Government Center, 1840 Simon Kenton Way, Covington
- Historic Kenton County Courthouse, 5272 Madison Pike, Independence
Excused Early Voting
Excused in-person voting refers to casting an absentee ballot in person, rather than submitting it via mail or dropping it in a drop box. In order to cast an in-person absentee ballot, a person must meet the normal requirements for casting a mail-in ballot, such as living outside of one’s county of permanent residence or being actively deployed in military service.
Northern Kentucky residents can cast absentee ballots in person at the following locations.
Boone County excused in-person voting:
- Boone County Clerk’s Office Registration Department, 2950 Washington St., Burlington, from Oct. 25 to Nov. 1 during normal business hours, which are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday; and 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
Campbell County excused in-person voting:
- Campbell County Administration Building, 1098 Monmouth St., Newport, from Oct. 25-Nov. 1 between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Kenton County excused in-person voting:
- Kenton County Government Center, 1840 Simon Kenton Way, Covington, on Oct. 25, 26, 27, 30, 31 and Nov. 1 between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Normal Early Voting
Not eligible for an absentee ballot? That’s OK; residents can still vote early in their county of residence at one of the locations below. Residents can vote at any of the locations in their county.
Boone County early voting:
- Boone County Enrichment Center, lower level, 1824 Patrick Drive, Burlington
- Thursday, Nov. 2 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Friday, Nov. 3 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 4 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Campbell County residents can vote early at the following locations from Nov. 2-4 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.:
- Campbell County Administration Building, 1098 Monmouth St., Newport
- Cold Spring Branch of First Baptist Church, 4410 Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring
- Southern Campbell County Fire Department, 1050 Race Track Road, Alexandria
Kenton County residents can vote early at the following locations from Nov. 2-4 between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.:
- Kenton County Library Covington Branch, 502 Scott St., Covington
- Lakeside Christian Church, 195 Buttermilk Pike, Lakeside Park
- Kenton County Government Center, 1840 Simon Kenton Way, Covington
- Calvary Baptist Church, 3711 Tibbatts St., Covington
- Independence Senior Center, 2001 Jackwoods Parkway, Independence
Erin: If needed, cut from here down, but please include Robin Gee’s contribution at the bottom.
How we vote
The question of which voting machines and paper ballots are used falls to the county boards of elections, with approval by the state.
Counties are in charge of their own election equipment, and they are required by law to use a public bidding, request-for-proposal process, said Shane Noem, chairman of the Kenton County Republican Party.
“Poorer counties will purchase more prosperous counties’ old equipment to save money,” he said. “All the machines used in Kentucky are safe, secure and are not connected to the Internet.”
Beyond equipment and location, administration of the election is another critical factor. That’s where poll workers, also known as precinct election officers, come in. Qualified registered voters, these workers are hired, trained and paid by each county. They must be at least 18 and cannot be candidates or relatives of a candidate on the ballot in that precinct.
Poll workers are in high demand. Elections run from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on election day, and poll workers are required to be on-site all day. To learn more about becoming a poll worker, visit your county’s website or go to elect.ky.gov and click on the Voters tab.
Kentucky law also provides for “poll challengers” to be present at the polls.
“It allows for political parties or candidates to go into the polls and watch and challenge something if they see something off,” Noem said. “In my opinion, it’s kind of redundant with poll workers, because poll workers are also designated by political parties to go work in the polls. If they see something, they have even more authority.”
Challengers, on the other hand, are very limited, he said. “You can’t touch a book, you can’t talk to anybody. You can observe and then file a report with the county clerk. Really, what those positions are used for is getting estimates on how many people have voted.”
Who can vote?
In Kentucky, most citizens over the age of 18 can vote. Those who turn 18 by the general election may vote in the primary. A photo ID is required.
Laws have changed to restore the right to vote to people who have been incarcerated for certain crimes. In the past, the only option to regain the right was to petition the governor.
“It was a person-by-person project,” said Jason Worms, a volunteer with Kentuckians for the Commonwealth (KFTC), a statewide organization devoted to promoting voting and democracy.
“In 2019, Gov. (Andy) Beshear signed an executive order that automatically restored voting rights for people who had certain criminal records,” he said. “If they had finished their sentences, they automatically had their rights restored. They did not have to petition the government.”
According to the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, 175,000 people who have served their time for felony convictions are eligible to vote.
“One of KFTC’s biggest pillars is grassroots power,” said Worms. “From KFTC’s perspective, when you have thousands of Kentuckians who do not have the right to vote because they have a felony in their background, that is not grassroots power, that’s suppressing grassroots power.”
To learn more, visit civilrightsrestoration@ky.gov. A call to your county clerk’s office can tell you if your rights have been restored.
Getting to the polls and more information
Kentuckians for the Commonwealth provides rides to the polls on Election Day. To set up a ride or to volunteer to drive people to the polls, visit kftc.org/rides to sign up.
For more information on the upcoming primary and general elections, visit govoteky.com. See also the League of Women Voters website at Vote411.org or the KFTC Voter Guide at kentuckyelection.org.
To find out where to vote, check the website of your county clerk’s office. You will need your precinct number, which the office can help you find.
For additional questions, call the Kentucky State Board of Elections at 502-573-7100.
Robin Gee contributed to this report
