County Clerks See Very Few Election Problems

Tuesday's primary election went smoothly according to several county clerks in western Kentucky.

The process was new for everyone since Secretary of State Michael Adams and Governor Andy Beshear put new guidelines in place because of the coronavirus pandemic. Voters didn't go to their normal precincts on Tuesday, and many voted early or requested mail-in ballots. 

Calloway County Clerk Antonia Faulkner said turnout was very good, and, "the day went superbly," considering the changes and the unknowns that accompanied them. 

Faulkner said, "The turnout was about what I expected. I'd say we'll end up having half in-person voting and half mail-in ballots." 

She said there were no problems during the voting process on Tuesday.

Marshall County Clerk Tim York said he was prepared for a larger turnout than he saw, with about 1,600 people voting in person. 

"We voted almost 1,000 people walk-in absentee, and then we sent out 6,000 mail-in ballots. We've gotten back about 4,800 so far," York said.

Graves County Clerk Kim Gills said she expected turnout to be a little lower, but, "it went excellent. Most of my comments and calls have been that they loved it. They got in and out faster than they did their normal precincts, so I've had lots of good, positive comments."

She said her in-person voting may turn out to be about 20 percent of the total vote. 

Gills said she had about 60 people who came in and said they did not receive their paper ballot, but wanted to vote. 

"We would scan their license and the machine tells us they already had an absentee ballot. So I had to go in and cancel that, and then let them vote manually," Gills said. 

McCracken County Clerk Julie Griggs said she had some voters with similar concerns, but they were able to vote in person. 

Griggs told West Kentucky Star that in those situations, any of those mail-in ballots that are opened get kicked out by the system and are not scanned, preventing multiple votes by the same person. Griggs said two ballots that were opened Wednesday were kicked out for that very reason. 

One McCracken County voter refused to wear a mask, which was required by Judge-Executive Craig Clymer to enter the courthouse. Even though Griggs offered to bring an absentee ballot outside for him to vote, he refused and left without voting. 

All four clerks will be receiving mail-in ballots through Saturday, and said they will certify and release their totals on Monday evening or Tuesday, which is the state-wide deadline.