Those limits — from just under 3,700 polling locations in a typical election, according to the Kentucky secretary of state, to 170 locations on Tuesday — have led to outcry across the country, particularly from Democrats who say it could result in a nightmare scenario in big cities with hours-long lines, potentially disenfranchising Black voters.
Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams pushed back against concerns about Tuesday’s election by noting the number of ballots cast absentee and during early voting and pointing out that the current rules were part of an agreement between the Republican election official and Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear.
Election Day concerns, especially over how the lack of in-person polling sites could affect Black voters, were so great that a bipartisan group went to court last week to demand more polling locations.
Jefferson County, home to Louisville and the largest Black community in the state, will have all in-person voters on Tuesday gather at the city’s large convention center.
And in Fayette County, home to Lexington, the commonwealth’s second largest city, all in-person voting on Tuesday will take place on the football field at the University of Kentucky.
