KY. Secretary of State Adams says KY changes needed after long lines on election day
FRANKFORT, Ky. (WKRC)- Kentucky's top election leader says something needs to change after folks waited in long lines locally and across Kentucky this week.
From Kenton County to Louisville, thousands of Kentucky voters faced lines of an hour or more to cast their ballot.
During a legislative committee hearing Thursday, Secretary of State Michael Adams said the lines people faced on election day could have been longer without the early voting days. But he says he's against adding more early voting days. Adams told the committee more voting centers is the best solution.
"There's no one right answer for the state. We're a diverse state, but I do think there should be a floor. There should be a floor of a formula that says if you have this many people, you need this many places to vote," Adams said.
But more polling locations means more polling workers and more polling workers means more money needed to pay those workers.
Add to it, there has been an increasing challenge nationwide to find enough poll workers since the pandemic and the increased attacks on election integrity.
Adams says he plans to address the need for more polling locations in the upcoming legislative session.
"I'm gonna work in good faith across party lines with the clerks and with the legislature and the governor to come up with more voting locations," Adams said.
Kentucky State Board of Elections Executive Director Karen sellers told lawmakers there should have been more foresight on their part.
"I'm sure that the lines we had in this general election will certainly be taken into consideration when any new plans are developed in the future and I do believe the county clerks will do that as well," Sellers said during the hearing.
As for Kenton County, Clerk Gabrielle Summe says county workers still have several days of paperwork to finish this election. Once that's completed, they will come up with a plan to avoid these long lines in upcoming elections.
