Secretary of State Michael Adams encourages Kentucky voters to vote early this week.
“The best way to avoid lines at the polls is to take advantage of our early voting days, this Thursday through Saturday,” said Adams.
Adams believes voter turnout will likely be in the same range as other non-presidential general elections, which is around 40-42%. But early voting will help ensure a smooth election for voters and poll workers.
"I want to keep early voting and I want people to use it. Otherwise, it'll be defunded and repealed and I don't want to see that. But the more important reason is for every person that votes early - and has a more convenient day, gets in that much faster, gets out that much faster - it also makes the lines shorter on Tuesday, Election Day," said Adams. "So early voting helps both voters that have the convenience to vote early but also the people who don't vote early."
Regardless of which day voters choose, Adams emphasizes that the same protocols are being followed. For example, no votes are tabulated until the polls close on Tuesday. So, Adams says early votes are secure.
"The same security is in place. We don't count the votes that are cast early," said Adams. I don't know how many votes I get or how many the other guy gets. I have no idea. No one does. We don't close out the ballot scanners until the polls close on election night."
