KY secretary of state’s November voting plan doesn’t include universal mail-in voting

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) – Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams and Democratic Governor Andy Beshear could be on a collision course over the voting plan for the November general election.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports Secretary Adams has submitted his preliminary plan for voting November 3 to the governor and it doesn’t include universal mail-in voting, which the governor wants in the fall.

Governor Beshear wants the format for the general election to mirror the June Primary, which allowed all registered voters to vote by mail due to the pandemic.  Because of the coronavirus, the Primary was moved from May to June.

Secretary Adams has said he wants to accommodate older and more vulnerable voters in November by offering absentee voting by mail, but doesn’t want that option available for all voters.

Adams told state lawmakers during a July legislative committee meeting in Frankfort, that he was concerned local election officials and the postal service wouldn’t be able to handle the volume of mail-in ballots in November if every eligible voter was allowed to vote in that manner.

Adams has said he expects voter turnout in November to be 2.5 times larger than June, when voter turnout was nearly 29-percent.  According to the state, nearly 75-percent of the June Primary ballots were mailed-in.

Under state law, the governor and secretary of state must agree on an election plan.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reported the governor’s office did not have an immediate comment on Adams’ preliminary voting plan.