State drops several requirements for absentee voting
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Kentucky has announced allowances and dropped several requirements for absentee ballots that could have put voters at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a release from the League of Women Voters of Kentucky.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Secretary of State Michael Adams came to a bipartisan agreement outlining new voting guidelines for the November General Election, which were accepted by the state Board of Elections earlier this week.
“This agreement will save lives by allowing Kentuckians to vote safely in the midst of the current pandemic by using COVID-19 as an excuse to vote absentee,” said Fran Wagner, president of the League of Women Voters of Kentucky. “In addition, those without a photo ID will be able to vote by stipulating that the coronavirus prevented them from obtaining one. Given the complexity of the new election rules, it’s now incumbent on state and county election officials to provide clear guidance so that no eligible voter is disenfranchised because of confusion or discouragement to participate in November’s election.”
The state’s action follows a federal lawsuit in May of this year, filed by the League of Women Voters of Kentucky, the Urban League of Kentucky, and the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) along with seven individual voters, asking the state to allow expanded absentee balloting and other election accommodations as well as to eliminate the photo ID requirement, according to the release. As a result of the newly approved accommodations in favor of voters, the groups have decided to drop their lawsuit.
The following rules are among those adopted by the state Board of Elections this week:
- Voters may cite fear of contracting COVID-19 as an excuse to request an absentee ballot.
- Voters who state they are unable to obtain a photo ID due to COVID are exempt from the photo ID requirement.
- Early voting will be open three weeks before Election Day on Nov. 3.
