Christian County’s 16 election polling sites were “very quiet” on Tuesday with low turnout and no serious problems reported by election workers, said County Clerk Melinda Humphries.
“We’ve had more people calling about their vehicle registration than about voting,” she said.
Evidence of the low turnout could be seen just outside Humphries’ office in the courthouse, where one of the county’s polling places was set up in the main hallway. There were no voters present at one point in the mid-afternoon.
Heading into the primary election, Secretary of State Michael Adams said he expected 10 to 15% of the state’s eligible voters to cast a ballot. Turnout was down 19% during three days of early voting last week compared to early voting in 2022, he said.
Humphries said approximately 160 elections workers were spread out among the county’s 16 voting centers. Recruiting workers is less challenging since the county increased their pay to $300 last year, she said.
Having poll workers who agree to come back year after year is “crucial” because they become more knowledgeable about rules and procedures, she said.
The pay “has to be worth someone taking a vacation day,” she added.
This election is Humphries’ first as county clerk. She won election to the office last fall after serving as a deputy clerk and the election coordinator in the office for two decades.
The new election coordinator is Jennifer Nichols, and the assistant coordinator is Jackie Fish.
While the turnout was disappointing, Humphries said she’s working on making sure the county is ready for the general election, when higher turnout is expected with the governor’s race. The presidential election in 2024 is also expected to draw more voters.
The polls will close at 6 tonight.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. She spent 30 years as a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition.
