LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) - Kentucky voters head to the polls Tuesday to cast their ballots in a primary election that includes races for president, Congress and the state legislature.
Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes says voters should remember that morning and evening rush hours and lunch time tend to be busy when choosing the best time to vote on Tuesday.
Grimes sat down with WDRB in the Morning to talk about a few of the issues.
Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time. Any voter in line by 6 p.m. will be allowed to cast a ballot.
"We want to have a great turnout here in the Commonwealth," Grimes said, but admitted voter turnout is expected to be low.
"We did our prediction last week based on the absentee numbers that were coming in, and statewide the prediction is 10 to 12 percent," Grimes said. "Obviously, here in Jefferson County, there are a lot more contested races in this primary election for voters to come out and have their voice heard."
Grimes says that in addition to the presidential race, voters in Kentucky have a "Congressional Democratic primary race, you have your state senate and state representative races as well as a host of local races from the commonwealth attorneys to several metro council races, which we are hopeful will drive out a lot of local traffic."
When asked if it hurts that Kentucky's primary seems irrelevant in the presidential election because it appears the Republican nominee has already been determined.
"As we did our turnout prediction last week, one of the comments was that the nominees for both the Democrat and Republican presidential primary are already pretty much sewn up, and at this point, what's bringing people out are these local races," Grimes said.
Grimes says the timing of the state's primary is up to the legislature.
"It's a legislative decision," Grimes said. "And at the end of the day, moving it forward or backward is up to the General Assembly."
Employers are required by state law to allow employees who are eligible to vote to be absent from work for at least four hours in order to vote, and Grimes' office says employees should request voting leave in advance of the day on which they will vote.
"Let your employer know that you're going to vote on election day," Grimes said.
To find out your polling location and eligibility requirements, visit http://sos.ky.gov.
Copyright 2012 WDRB News. All Rights Reserved.
