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1984 Voting Accessibility
Act:
This act says that all polling places are
required to be physically accessible. If a polling place is not
accessible, then it should be moved to another location, or be made
temporarily accessible. It is only when this is not possible that
your local election officials can require you to vote by an alternative
method, such as curbside voting.
The organization, Justice for All has heard
that the Voting Rights Section of the U.S. Department of Justice will
begin enforcing the 1984 Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and
Handicapped Act, which contains stricter requirements than the
ADA.
To be eligible to vote in
the state of Kentucky you must:
- Be a U.S. Citizen and a Kentucky resident
for at least 28 days
- Be at least 18 years old by the date of
the next general election.
If you will be 18 by the November general election, then you can
vote in the prior May primary election.
- Not be a convicted felon or, if you have
been convicted of a felony, your civil rights have been restored
- Not have been judged “mentally
incompetent” in a court of law
- Not claim the right to vote anywhere
outside of Kentucky
In order to be eligible to
vote you must first register to vote. In the state of Kentucky you can
register to vote at least 28 days prior to the next election through any
of the following sources:
- County Clerk’s office
- Driver’s License office, if you are
applying to renew your driver’s license
- K-TAP, Food Stamp, Medicaid, WIC and
state funded offices serving those with disabilities, if you are a
client of these Public Assistance offices
- Armed Forces Recruitment offices, if you
are a prospective member of the armed forces
- High School students may register at
school
- Kentucky mail-in voter registration
form
- Federal mail-in voter registration
form
Kentucky
allows registration for three political distinctions:
- Democratic Party
- Republican Party
- Other
Kentucky has closed
party primary elections, which means that you must register as a Democrat
or Republican to vote in that party’s May primary election. If you register as Other, you
cannot vote in the Democrat or Republican party primaries but may vote in
judicial, school board and some city council primaries. All eligible voters may vote in
the November general election.
What if I have special needs at the
polls?
People who require voting
assistance due to physical disability and/or blindness may request voting
assistance at the polls on election day. Physical disability and blindness
are the only to reasons that a voter may apply to a County Board of
Elections for permanent voting assistance. A person may receive assistance
from someone of their choice or the two precinct judges at the polls. A person may not be
assisted by their employer, his or her agent, a union officer or agent of
that voter’s union.
How do I know where to
vote?
You will receive a notice in
the mail which lists your precinct name and your voting location
address. The polls are open
from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM, local time.
You can contact your County Clerk’s office for any question
concerning where to
vote.
Can I request an absentee
ballot?
An absentee ballot may be
requested at the County Clerk’s office if you meet any of the following
qualifications:
- Due to advanced age, disability, illness
or medical emergency.
- You are a member of the Armed Forces or
the dependent of a member of the Armed Forces
- You temporarily reside overseas but are
still eligible to vote in Kentucky
- You are a student attending school
outside the county of your voter registration
- You temporarily reside outside the state
but are still eligible to vote in Kentucky
- You are incarcerated in jail and have
been charged but not convicted of a crime
- You work outside of the county and are
unable to either vote early in the county clerk’s office or in your
polling place on the election day
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