Despite technical delays, Kentuckians make their voice heard.

In the midst of voting delays and faulty machines, Kentuckians casted their votes and Donald Trump has won Kentucky, according to the Associated Press.

Election Day kicked off with Jefferson County experiencing voter delays, as a result of technical issues, confirmed by the county's Facebook page. In response to the issue, the Kentucky Democratic Party filed a motion asking the court to extend voting hours in Jefferson County, but the request was not met. 

LGBTQ+ candidate Taylor Jolly, running for state representative in District 33, which includes parts of Jefferson County, felt concern over the delays. Jolly had volunteers waving his signs at several polling sites, and said they witnessed people leaving without voting. “Even people making comments like, ‘well I would've voted for him, but I can't wait in line any longer,” he said. 

Despite the delays and the announcement of Trump winning Kentucky, community-led organizations were hopeful for down ballot races. 

“While expected, it’s always disappointing, but will not thwart the efforts of several LGBTQ candidates across our commonwealth tonight,” said Chris Hartman, executive director of the Fairness Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy organization in Kentucky. 

Hartman is hopeful he will see Kentucky name the first openly transgender city council member, if Emma Curtis is elected. Curtis is running for city council in Lexington-Fayette. 

Kentucky organizations react to Trump win and stay hopeful for down ballot races

The Associated Press race called a win for Donald Trump in Kentucky. According to the state’s Board of Election site, Trump is leading with 103,201 votes, while Vice-President Kamala Harris has 54,615 votes. 

“I am not surprised by the results,” said Allison Wiseman, president of Kentucky Young Democrats. Despite the surprise, Wiseman is still keeping an eye on the numbers coming in, “the results of our down ballots so far throughout Kentucky as well as the current makeup of Amendment 2 has me very hopeful for the evening.”

Amendment 2 seeks to add a new part to the Kentucky Constitution, to provide financial support for the education costs of students in kindergarten through 12th grade who are outside the system of public schools. 

Statewide, Kentuckians are opposing Amendment 2 with 64% of the vote.   

Responding to the current news, Chris Hartman, executive director of the Fairness Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy organization in Kentucky, said “I’m feeling optimistic.” Hartman said he looks forward to “historic wins for LGBTQ candidates, like Emma Curtis running for Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council.” 

Kentucky has 14 LGBTQ+ candidates on the ballot this year, a significant increase from the 2020 election which had only nine Queer candidates. 

According to the Board of Elections site, Emma Curtis has 46% of the counted votes so far, while her opponent and current incumbent, Brenda Monarrez has 56% of the vote. 

Curtis and Monarrez have not responded to a request for a comment.

AP race call: Donald Trump wins Kentucky

As the first few polls in Kentucky have closed and votes are starting to be tallied in counties like Anderson, Fayette, and Laurel, some voters are sharing their voting experience. 

In a report by FOX19, Jason Draughn, 47, a Kenton County voter said “he was telling everybody to take off their shirts if they had Trump on them.”

Draughn claims the incident occurred around 7a.m. at Independence Senior and Community Center. 

“I feel like my freedom of speech and my rights were violated. I feel my dignity was compromised,” said Draughn. He 

A spokeswoman for the Secretary of State, Michael Adams, supported the voter's claim confirming voters can wear candidate gear such as T-shirts.

According to the statute KRS117(3a), no person shall electioneer at any polling place that is being used as a voting location on the day of any election. 

The Lawyer’s Committee did not answer a request for a comment. 

Associated Press also called Kentucky for Trump, making it the third consecutive win for the former President in that state. With the win in Kentucky, it will add eight electoral votes to his tally. 

Kentucky-based groups join a motion to extend polling hours in Jefferson County.

Earlier today the Kentucky Democratic Party filed a motion to extend voting hours in Jefferson County, after a delay in voting resulting from a technical issue. More organizations are now speaking out, asking the court to listen to their request.

“It is the constitutional right of every eligible voter in Kentucky to cast their vote in the election,” said Corey Shapiro, Legal Director at the ACLU of Kentucky. The organization released a statement earlier in the day when the news of the issue first broke out. 

Shapiro blamed the delay on the county’s lack of preparedness after three days of historic levels of early voting. 

On Sunday, Secretary of State Michael Adams shared a statement on X claiming “792,476 Kentuckians have voted in the 2024 general election to date.” The first day of early voting in Kentucky brought out more than 225,000 Kentuckians. According to Adams, that is about 167,000 more votes casted in day one of early voting in 2020.

“I fully support the motion,” said Allison Wiseman, president of Kentucky Young Democrats, a youth-led political organization. Wiseman added she has received messages, “from people expressing their concern with the excessive wait times and how the lines, and electronic malfunctions, caused them to walk away and not exercise their right to vote.”

Just a few minutes ago, a video was posted to the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office Facebook page, with Bobbie Holsclaw, Jefferson County Clerk, confirming polls will still close at 6pm. In the video, Holsclaw said despite the concerns, “I am committed to ensuring a free and fair election.”

Candidates are staying put but alert in the midst of voting delays.

Antoine Smith-Rouse, candidate for the second district in the Boone County School Board race, said “today appears to be going well.” 

Earlier today, Jefferson County, 90 miles south of Boone County, experienced voting delays due to a machine update, as confirmed by the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office. 

Smith-Rouse said he was unfamiliar with the earlier incident, but has taken steps to mitigate any issues in his area. “I have been to all of the precinct locations at least once for my district,” he said. The only thing Smith-Rouse observed were “abnormal lines” that extended out to the road at Thornwilde Elementary. Boone County is home to over 140,000 Kentuckians, according to census data, about 600,000 less residents than in Jefferson County. 

For Emma Curtis, candidate for Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council in District 4, the incident in Jefferson County is causing some concerns. “Especially given how close some of the races in swing districts have been projected to be,” she said. 

Both Smith-Rouse and Curtis are running in a first of its kind election. If Smith-Rouse is elected, he will become the first openly out LGBTQ+ member  in his school district. If Curtis is elected, she would become the second out transgender person to be elected, but the only one currently serving.

 

Motion requesting extended polling hours in Jefferson County after technical issues cause delay. 

In a statement online, the Kentucky Democratic Party confirms they have filed a motion requesting an extension to polling hours in Jefferson County, after technical issues caused delays earlier today. 

The polling site opened at 6 a.m. and the motion filed claims that the system crash occurred every 3 minutes for the first three and half hours of voting. The motion goes on to state that at one point, “the system needed to be restarted.”

Bobbie Holsclaw, Jefferson County Clerk, confirmed the issue through a Facebook post on the county clerk's page. “Our electronic poll books are updating slower than normal as a result, which is causing delays,” he wrote. 

The post was met with over 70 comments, some claiming they waited over 40 minutes in line and others asking for the polling site hours to be extended. 

In response to the delay, Morgan Eaves, executive director of the Kentucky Democratic Party, said “after receiving numerous reports of technical issues causing severe delays and infringing on Kentuckians’ constitutional right to vote, we immediately filed a motion to request that the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office extend polling hours until 8 p.m.”

The Jefferson County Clerk has not provided an update if an extension can be expected. 

Jefferson County experiences voting delays; elected officials encourage voters to stay in line

This morning, as residents in Jefferson County headed to voting stations they were met with delays. Jefferson County Clerk’s Office shared a Facebook post confirming the issue was caused “due to the process of downloading data from early voting and managing the high volume of absentee ballots.”

According to the 2020 census, the county is home to over 780,000 residents and includes popular cities like Louisville. “Hearing the polling locations are clearing up and things are moving better,” said Anthony Piagentini, councilman for District 19, including Louisville metro areas. Councilman Piagentini reminded residents on Twitter to “stay in line and be in line by 6pm.” 

Comments on Jefferson County Clerk’s Office facebook page are asking for the county to extend the time that polls close, but the county has not confirmed any decision to extend the time. 

In response to the delay, Corey Shapiro, legal director of ACLU Kentucky, called the issue “inexcusable” and a “lack of preparedness” on behalf of the county. In a statement shared on the organization's website, Shapiro added, “we are exploring all options, including litigation, to ensure every eligible voter in Jefferson County can access the ballot box today.”

The incident is adding to the last few days of voting queries Kentuckians have experienced from faulty voting machines and other polling sites extending their hours, as residents could see history making decisions from local to state level races. 

Skepticism in the election process was raised on Oct. 31 when the Laurel County Clerk’s office shut down a ballot-marking machine from public use after a TikTok video claimed their intended vote was not being recorded.

In the video, a voter is unable to select Donald Trump as their presidential candidate when they are tapping the electronic screen. After tapping the screen multiple times, the machine records Kamala Harris, the democratic candidate, as their vote instead. 

In response to the video, Laurel County Clerk Tony Brown posted a statement on Facebook that read in part, “after several minutes of attempting to recreate the scenario, it did occur.” Brown explained that the machine is intended to mark the ballot. Voters are able to review the ballot after it is printed and before they submit it. Brown also confirmed that the person who recorded the video did cast her ballot, “which she said was correct.”

Despite some concerns in Laurel County, in Franklin County polling sites are getting ready to stay open later as announced by Governor Andy Beshear. Kentucky Emergency Management activated the State’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at the Boone National Guard Center in Frankfort, keeping polling sites open until 7p.m. 

In Boone County, the school board race features a first for District 2. Antoine Smith-Rouse, if elected, will be the first openly out LGBTQ+ candidate elected to the school board in the area.

The race for the Supreme Court in District 5 will see its first female supreme court judge elected. Pamela R. Goodwine and Erin Izzo are on the ballot for this history-making moment. If Goodwine is elected, she would also become the fifth person in history to serve at all levels of the judiciary in Kentucky.

Ahead of the general election, Michael Adams, Kentucky Secretary of State, said “we have no information that there will be any incidents of violence or otherwise," adding, he expects all votes to be counted by the end of the day on November 5. 

Supreme Court, 5th District

Earlier this month, Governor Andy Beshear noted that polls will stay open on election day until 7pm. for Franklin county residents. 

“This is just part of the preparedness that we as Kentuckians expect from Kentucky Emergency Management,” said Eric Gibson, Director of the Kentucky Emergency Management. Gibson assured residents the extension in voting time is not in anticipation of any kind of issues. 

Community members will also cast their vote in a historical election, voting for the first woman supreme court judge in the 5th district. Kentucky is one of 13 states to select their supreme court judges in nonpartisan elections this year. The election will seek to replace retiring incumbent Chief Justice Laurance VanMeter, serving since 2016. In the 2016 election, VanMeter defeated his opponent with over 70% of the votes. 

On the ballot this year are two nonpartisan candidates, Pamela R. Goodwine and Erin Izzo. Goodwine is a judge for Division 1 of the Kentucky Court of Appeals 5th Appellate District. Goodwine said, "Upon election to the Kentucky Supreme Court, I will be the first woman and only the fifth person in history to serve at all levels of the judiciary in Kentucky,” about her possible election. 

Izzo’s career experience includes working as an attorney and serving as an assistant Fayette County attorney in the child support enforcement division. As of February 2024, Izzo was a partner at Landrum & Shouse in Lexington, Kentucky. 

State House of Representatives District 33

The Kentucky House of Representatives is one of 85 state legislative chambers with elections in 2024. One of the elections for representatives in Kentucky is for District 33, covering parts of Jefferson, Oldham and Shelby counties. The ballot will include Democratic candidate, Taylor Jolly and Republican incumbent, Jason Michael Nemes. 

Nemes has been serving District 33 since 2016 and is in favor of Constitutional Amendment 2, an act proposing to create a new section of the Constitution of Kentucky relating to education funding. The amendment will be up for a vote in this year’s election.

Jolly’s family roots run deep in Kentucky, the Jolly family first settled in the state in the late 1700s, before Kentucky’s statehood. On his website, Jolly claims, “I’m running for the State House because every Kentucky family deserves a good job, financial security, good public schools, and access to quality healthcare.” 

Boone County School Board Race

Boone County has the third largest public school district in Kentucky, serving over 20,000 students. 

The district consists of 15 elementary schools, six middle schools and five high schools. Overseeing a large amount of students, the school board is divided into five different divisions. This year, District 1 and 2 have contested races, meanwhile District 3’s incumbent candidate, Jesse Parks, is running unopposed.   

District 2, oversees the northwestern portion of the county, such as Burlington, Petersburg, Belleview and Bullittsville. The race will have three candidates, Julie Maddox, Maria Brown, and Antoine Smith-Rouse. 

If Smith-Rouse is elected, he will be the first openly out LGBTQ+ member of the Boone County School Board. 

Woodford County, Midway City Council Race

This year, Kentucky’s local races have seen an increase in LGBTQ+ candidates, as compared to the 2020 general election. Eight candidates are running in races for school board to city council, and Midway city could potentially elect their youngest LGBTQ+ councilmember. 

Located in Woodford County, Midway city is home to 1,178 residents, according to the 2020 census. Ian VanSteenbergh is one of nine candidates on the ballot for city council. Of the nine, voters will select six candidates to represent them.