BY BRENNAN D. CRAIN, WCLU News
GLASGOW — The deadline to register to vote is Tuesday, Oct. 11.
The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 8. Click here to check your registration.
“You need to go ahead now and get registered to vote,” said Barren County Clerk Helena Birdwell. “You can come here to the clerk’s office or go online.”
Everyone must be registered by 4 p.m. on Tuesday to vote. Birdwell also said those eligible to register now include people age 17 who will be 18 by Nov. 8. Click here to register.
Several days of early voting will take place. In Kentucky, it includes three types of early voting. They are called “absentee voting” and allow voters to cast ballots before Election Day.
No-excuse, in-person voting
The first way is called “in-person, no-excuse” absentee voting. It will be conducted statewide from Nov. 3 – Nov. 5. It will be hosted at the University of Kentucky’s Agriculture Extension Office in Barren County from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. – including Saturday, Nov. 5.
This type of voting is simply known as “early voting.” Voters cast ballots just like Election Day. No excuse is necessary to vote this way. Voters may only vote once, which means anyone voting early will not be allowed to vote again on Election Day.
Find your county’s polling locations here.
Excused, in-person voting
The second way, called “excused, in-person absentee voting,” will last six days. The time will allow voters with a designated reason to vote early.
Some of those reasons include someone who will be absent from the county during all other times to vote, someone having surgery or whose spouse is having surgery during the other times to vote, and a woman in her last trimester of pregnancy. View all excuses here.
Voters in Barren County who wish to vote this way must do so during normal business hours at the Barren County Clerk’s Office from Wednesday, Oct. 26 – Wednesday, Nov. 2. The hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Mail-in voting
The third way to vote early is the traditional mail-in ballot. This method was widely used during the pandemic when voters were discouraged to go to polls due to the coronavirus.
A statewide absentee ballot portal is open and will remain open through Tuesday, Oct. 25 at 11:59 p.m. Voters must have a valid reason to vote this way, too. View them here.
See other Kentucky election-related deadlines here.
