LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — More than 65,000 Kentucky voters have already requested an absentee ballot, according to Secretary of State Michael Adams. The deadline for others who meet the absentee requirements is October 25th.
Filled-out absentee ballots can be returned at official drop-boxes or mailed in. And for those who are mailing it, Adams suggests adding additional postage.
"When you mail it, use two stamps," said Adams. "It's heavy."
Adams explains that in some areas of Kentucky, the ballot is longer than usual.
"Actually, I think this is the longest ballot we've ever had," he said. "We've got a senate race, congressional races, legislative races, county races, city races, and all the judges in the state - and two constitutional amendments. That's a long ballot. This is the longest piece of paper we've ever had to print for an absentee ballot."
So, Adams says to put two or three stamps on "to be safe."
"Postage varies as [the] number of races/candidates (therefore ballot size/weight) varies by jurisdiction," Adams tweeted on Thursday.
Reasons Eligible to Request a Mail-In Absentee Ballot on the Online Portal:
- A resident of Kentucky who is a covered voter as defined in KRS 117A.010;
- A student who temporarily resides outside the county of his or her residence;
- Incarcerated in jail and charged with a crime, but has not been convicted of the crime;
- Changing or has changed his or her place of residence to a different state while the registration books are closed in the new state of residence before an election of electors for President and Vice President of the United States, in which case the voter shall be permitted to cast a mail-in absentee ballot for electors for President and Vice President of the United States only;
- Temporarily residing outside the state but still eligible to vote in this state;
- Prevented from voting in person at the polls on election day and from casting an excused or no-excuse in-person absentee ballot on all days in-person absentee voting is conducted because he or she will be absent from the county of his or her residence all hours and all days excused or no-excuse in person absentee voting is conducted;
- A participant in the Secretary of State's crime victim address confidentiality protection program as authorized by KRS 14.312; or
- Not able to appear at the polls on election day or the days excused or no-excuse in-person absentee voting is conducted on the account of age, disability, or illness, and who has not been declared mentally disabled by a court of competent jurisdiction.
