Two polling places — at James E. Bruce Convention Center and Christian County Senior Center — will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday for general election early voting.
Voters who prefer to cast their ballot on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 8, can choose among 16 voting centers that will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. There are no residency restrictions on polling places. Registered voters in Christian County may use any polling place for early voting and on Election Day.
That’s a message local election officials hope they have adequately publicized after expanding the number of voting centers from eight in the May primary to 16 in this general election. (Use this Hoptown Chronicle map to locate the 16 voting centers.)
“I think we’ve done our job,” County Clerk Mike Kem said Wednesday. His office oversees elections.
The county clerk’s office publicized the voting times and locations on social media, through paid advertising spots and in a postcard delivered last week to the home address of every person listed on the county’s voter roll.
Kem said he was pleased to see that several candidates shared through social media and mailings the information from his office about polling places.
The publicity was in response to complaints about the May primary and confusion over polling locations. A number of voters said they did not know that their old precinct locations had been replaced by voting centers. Under the old system, a voter could go only to his or her precinct to vote.
In another effort to alert voters about changes, Kem said there will be two signs at each of the old precincts on Election Day telling voters that the location is no longer a polling place and directing them to a voting center that is open. One sign will be visible where motorists drive into the lot and the other sign will be on the entrance of the building.
Jennifer Nichols, a deputy county clerk, said 155 election workers and 50 alternates have been trained to work the polls.
“That is many more than we normally have,” she said. “I think a lot of it has to do with the increase in pay … and more people are getting involved in elections.”
This summer Christian Fiscal Court voted to increase Election Day pay from $200 to $300 for poll workers.
Kem said he wouldn’t try to predict voter turnout in this election. However, he believes the two proposed amendments to the state constitution will attract voters who might not otherwise go to the polls.
He said voters need to read the amendments before they go to the poll. The amendment language is lengthy. Poll workers will not be allowed to explain either of the amendments to a voter who is unfamiliar with the issues.
Amendment 1 would give state lawmakers more authority over how often the General Assembly meets.
Amendment 2 would eliminate any abortion rights from that state’s constitution.
Voters can view all of the races as they appear on a Christian County sample ballot from the Kentucky Secretary of State’s office. In the U.S. Senate race, incumbent Republican Rand Paul faces Democratic challenger Charles Booker.
State legislature
There are two contested state legislative races on the ballot. In the 8th District House race, Republican incumbent Walker Thomas faces Democratic challenger Pam Dossett, a school teacher who also challenged Thomas in 2020. The House race in the 9th District is a contest between Republican incumbent Myron Dossett and Democratic challenger Bianca Crockam, an educator.
Judicial races
There are two judicial races, which are nonpartisan. Incumbent John Atkins faces challenger Stephanie Bolen, a former assistant commonwealth’s attorney, in Division II of Christian Circuit Court. The candidates in a newly created division of Family Court are Hopkinsville attorney Katherine Hicks Demps and Judy Hall, a former family court judge.
Mayor
Incumbent Wendell Lynch is not seeking another term in office for mayor. The candidates are Democrat Alethea West, who currently serves on city council, and Republican James R. Knight Jr., who runs his family’s appliance repair business.
City Council
Hopkinsville City Council races are on the ballot. Although city voters cast ballots for the council only in their ward in the primaries, they vote citywide for all 12 seats in the general election.
Judge-Executive
Incumbent Democrat Steve Tribble faces Republican challenger Jerry Gilliam, who is currently a magistrate.
Magistrates
Six of the county’s eight magisterial districts have a contested race. Unlike city council races, voters do not vote countywide in these races; they vote only in their district for a magistrate.
County Clerk
Kem is not seeking re-election. In that race, the candidates are Republican Melinda Humphries, the elections coordinator and a deputy clerk in the office, and Democrat Walter Cummings, the county treasurer.
Poll tips
Kem said voters who typically vote a straight party ticket for all Democrats or all Republicans should remember that they must still make choices in the nonpartisan races and on the constitutional amendments if they want those selections to be counted.
Voters who have questions or any problems at the polls that cannot be addressed by the poll workers who are present should not hesitate to call the clerk’s office, said Nichols. The number is 270-887-4105.
Nichols said she would rather get 15 calls about the same issue from a polling place than to hear after the fact that there was a problem but no one alerted the clerk’s office for assistance.
Kem also advised voters to bring their photo identification to the polls. Having the ID handy will make the process go more smoothly, he said.
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.
