With week remaining in election, Whitley County poised for 40 percent voter turnout

With a week remaining in the 2020 general election, Whitley County Clerk Carolyn Willis said she expected more than 40 percent of registered Whitley County voters to cast a ballot.

As early voting continues through Monday and mail-in ballots continuing to come in, Willis said a combined 7,422 ballots have been cast.

That is more than the 7,392 cast in the June primary election when 34 percent of Whitley County’s 27,694 voters turned out.

“I expect it will be really busy all week,” Willis said of early voting, which may be done at the Whitley County Courthouse in Williamsburg, or the old district court room in Corbin.

In addition to normal business hours Monday through Friday, Willis said there will be special hours exclusively for voting again from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday.

Willis said voters will still have the option to cast a ballot on Election Day.

Because of COVID–19, voting will occur in two locations, Whitley County High School, and Corbin Primary School.

The polls will be open from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Willis said her office will have the results of walk-in voting, mail-in votes received up until that point, and votes cast on election day after the polls close on Tuesday.

However, while mail-in ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3, they have until Friday, Nov. 6 to reach the clerk’s office.

“We still have about 500 mail-in ballots out,” Willis said.

Willis said during the primary election, three or four mail-in ballots arrived at the office after election day.

While the presidential race between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, and U.S. Senate race between Mitch McConnell and Amy McGrath are the two biggest races on the ballot, there are a number of local races in Whitley County, Corbin and Williamsburg.

Two Whitley County School Board seats are contested.

Danny Terrell is challenging Brenda Hill, while Kay Schwartz is challenging Malorie Cooper.

The four Corbin City Commission seats will be on the ballot. In addition to incumbents Trent Knuckles and Brandon Shepherd, Seth Reeves, Shannon Hall, Allison Moore, Lisa Garrison, and Daron Steele are vying for the four seats. Each voter has the opportunity to vote for four candidates, with the top four in the race comprising the new commission along with Mayor Suzie Razmus.

The six Williamsburg City Council seats will be on the ballot. Incumbents Loren Connell, Patty Faulkner, Richard Foley, Erica Broome Harris, Mary Ann Stanfill, and Laurel Jeffries West will appear on the ballot along with challengers Jane Evans Graham and Carl Weaver.

Voters may cast ballots for up to six candidates with the top six in the race comprising the new city council.

Fifth District Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers is being challenged by democrat Matthew Ryan Best.