In person voting has concluded for Kentucky’s primary election, but who won and lost all of the races on the ballot won’t be known for several days.
Secretary of State Michael Adams and Governor Andy Beshear expanded access to mail-in and in-person absentee voting to protect poll workers and to prevent crowds at polling places during the pandemic, leaving most counties with only one or two locations to vote in person. Christian County’s was at the Bruce Convention Center and Elections Coordinator Melinda Humphries says the day went smoothly.
Results from the in-person voting at the Bruce Center are the only numbers available, but one should be cautious about drawing conclusions from those figures. Humphries noted that at least 2,000 people voted at the convention center and far more—about 5,000—have already voted absentee by mail or at the courthouse. Mail-in ballots count as long as they were postmarked on or before Tuesday and so it won’t be until June 30 until the absentee numbers are finalized.
Todd County voted in person at both elementary schools and County Clerk Cindy O’Bryan reported a good day with no major issues. 799 people voted at the schools and just under 900 absentee ballots have already been received in the mail or cast at the courthouse that won’t be counted and released until June 30.
Charles Booker led Amy McGrath in the Tuesday voting for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Christian County by a 765-297 margin and he leads in Todd County by a much slimmer 157-143 margin.
In Hopkinsville’s City Council races—again with only votes cast in person Tuesday—incumbent Darvin Adams leads former councilman Thomas Grant in the Ward 1 Democratic primary by a 44-19 margin. The Ward 6 Democratic primary has Paula Knight leading Kenneth Hatzakorzian 45-36, Richard Covington leads Dustin Gilbert 46-33 in the Ward 7 Republican primary, incumbent Patricia Bell leads by a 50-41 margin over Ardell Owens in Ward 9 and Steve Keel is leading Robert Almy 24-13 in the Ward 10 Republican primary.
In the Todd County Republican primary for Todd County Clerk, current Coroner Timothy Wells leads former Judge-Executive Kent Knight 160-127.
Statewide, it was no surprise that multiple media outlets declared President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden the winners of their respective primaries and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell the winner of his GOP primary.
Secretary Adams issued a statement Tuesday evening saying, “While all eyes were on Kentucky today, we offered the nation a model for success in conducting an election during a pandemic. I’m proud of Kentuckians for exercising their rights, and proud of the bipartisan coalition who worked with me – the Governor, State Board of Elections, county clerks, and poll workers – to make this election both successful and safe.”