A new bill that would do away with no excuse in-person absentee voting in the Commonwealth has been introduced into the 2024 regular legislative session.
Senate Bill 61 would eliminate the option for Kentucky voters to cast their ballots on the Thursday through Saturday the week before Election Day.
Rowan County Clerk Elwood Caudill, Jr. said removing that option would likely mean voter turnout in the county would drop.
“We all were used to voting on one day, which made it a little bit harder to come out and do that. With you being able to vote on a Saturday or anytime for three days, it’s a lot more convenient to come in and do that,” he said. “Someone wanting to do away with that is beyond me when states all around have been doing it for years.”
Caudill said no excuse early voting is a very popular option for Rowan County voters.
“This last election, we had 1,449 people vote three days early. So, I think taking that away would really hurt the election turnout because it’s so easy to utilize and take advantage of that,” he said.
Under the proposed bill, excused early voting would remain unaffected. In Rowan County, Caudill said only around 20 people utilized that option in the most recent election.