Absentee voting underway in Whitley County
If you are going to be out of town on Election Day but you still want to vote, then you are in luck. Absentee voting has begun in Whitley County and will continue through Nov. 5, the day before Election Day.
However, be sure to check both sides of your ballot to make sure you haven’t missed any races and remember that you could miss several non-partisan races if you just make a straight ticket vote for all Republican or Democratic candidates, said Whitley County Clerk Kay Schwartz.
Absentee voting is currently underway at the Whitley County Clerk’s office in the old courthouse in Williamsburg, and at the satellite office, which is located adjacent to Corbin City Hall.
You can vote in person at either location from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Mondays, and from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.
“If you are going to be out of town on Election Day, then please come to one of these locations and vote. Elderly and disabled people – if they are out for a doctor’s appointment – they can actually walk in and vote, or they can call and request a ballot by mail,” Schwartz said.
Schwartz said that none of the voting precincts have changed locations since the May Primary election. However, while the Corbin Middle School voting precinct will still vote at the old Corbin Middle School building off Kentucky Avenue, the location in the building where the voting will take place has changed because the building is currently undergoing renovations.
Next month voting will take place in the back of the school gymnasium. Schwartz said there is a white canopy over the entrance in the back of the building where people will enter to vote.
“If you are coming off of Kentucky Avenue, then you can turn into the parking lot of the gymnasium, which is right beside the fence,” she said.
In addition, Schwartz cautioned voters, who press the button to vote for all candidates in either the Republican or Democratic party, that this won’t cast votes in any non-partisan races they may have an interest in.
These contested races include the Corbin mayor’s race, Corbin City Commission, Williamsburg mayor’s race, Williamsburg City Council, and the Third-District Kentucky Supreme Court Justice race.
“If they choose to vote a straight ballot this does not get their non-partisan races. They have to continue on the ballot and vote for their non-partisan races,” she added.
She also cautioned voters that ballots in some precincts will have races printed on the front and back, which is something that has only happened one other time in Whitley County.
Voters also need to remember to bring their driver’s license when they go vote.
Schwartz said that voter turnout will probably vary depending on where you live in Whitley County.
Both cities have contested races for mayor and city council or city commission, which should increase turnout, but there aren’t many contested countywide races.
“That is where I think our higher vote turnout will be is in the city races, but I encourage people to go vote,’ she added.