ANDERSON CO., Ky. (LEX 18) — Voters in Anderson County made the most of early voting opportunities. The county had the highest early vote rate, with 41% of registered voters casting a ballot before Election Day.
“Well, it’s always good to be in the lead,” said Anderson County Clerk Jason Denny, “but what it really means is it has helped us on election day to not have excessively long lines for the voters.”
Some poll workers even noted that Election Day voting traffic felt similar to what they saw during the early voting period. In Frankfort, Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman had no line to wait in when she went to vote.
“I think the long lines for early voting proves that it works,” Coleman said. “It’s something that people have wanted for a long time. Democracy doesn’t just happen on one day a year… To be able to open this up and create more opportunity for people is always a good thing when it comes to voting.”
The early voting in Anderson County also provided officials with a little less stress during the election.
“We were the highest in the state in the primary and we’re the highest in the state now, which has helped us today to breathe,” shared Denny. “Our voters don’t expect long lines, and we don’t want them to have that, and that early voting process has allowed us to do that.”
Denny also shared that the voting drive-through process, along with early voting promotion, contributed to the county’s high number. The drive-through started in 2020 and has become a yearly favorite for voters across the county since.
“Voters beg for it, love it, and it’s the biggest question I get all during the year, 'Are you going to have the drive-through?' And yes we are,” said Denny.
Denny estimates that around 60% of Anderson County voters use the drive-through voting facility. Much of it is due to convenience.
“We see a lot of parents with young children in the backseat, they tell me they probably wouldn’t drag those children in,” Denny shared. “We see a lot of adult children with their older parents riding along in the drive through where they can vote in-person instead of a mail-in ballot.”
In total, Anderson County had four locations for voters to cast their ballots.
