LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Next Tuesday, news groups across Kentucky will be analyzing election results and calling the different races on the primary ballots.
The process to issue those calls is an extensive one at LEX 18. It's led by the station's election coordinator, Mike Taylor, who has covered many elections in Kentucky.
"I think I'm in the 75 range. I lost count. 75 to 80 - something like that. That's the elections I've coordinated. I've covered them as a reporter for a number of years too," said Taylor. "So probably closer to 90."
That substantial election knowledge and experience helps LEX 18 make calls quicker than some other news groups, at times.
"It just comes down to knowing the state, knowing how the voters have traditionally voted, knowing how that has changed over the years, and looking at the data coming in on that night - and seeing which way it's trending," explained Taylor.
But Taylor emphasizes that it's more important to be right than to be quick. So, he never makes a call unless he's 100% certain it is the correct one.
"I'd rather be right than fast," said Taylor. "The station hasn't made a wrong call since we've been doing this."
"We'll be cautious. We don't want to make a wrong call. We definitely don't want to make a wrong call," added Taylor. "We've had some very, very, very close races. We've waited a really long time to make a projection."
And that could happen in the upcoming Republican primary race for governor. Primary elections are more complicated than general elections, according to Taylor. And this one features 12 candidates but only three (Daniel Cameron, Mike Harmon, and Ryan Quarles) have history as statewide candidates.
"Their history, however, is in a down-ticket race," said Taylor. "Those don't get as many votes as a governor's race would in a primary."
"That makes it a little more difficult," added Taylor. "Because you've got some history, but you also have a candidate in the race who is spending a lot of money on advertising and getting her name out there - Kelly Craft. And that can be a wildcard because that may mean that the down-ticket race data that you have is completely irrelevant to the race."
"With a wildcard like that, there's no advantage for us to project early - unless someone is running away with it."
On election night, news organizations issue projections. Election results are only made official by the state of Kentucky, and it takes some time to certify the results.
