JCPS says it will open schools as polling locations for February special election

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Jefferson County Public Schools said Thursday it will open schools as polling locations for a special election in February.

Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio and Secretary of State Michael Adams will meet Friday to discuss details.

This comes two days after the Kentucky Board of Elections rejected Jefferson County's plan for the special election for District 19's state Senate seat because officials didn't provide enough polling locations. 

The plan only had four planned polling locations, and two of them were not in the district. Secretary of State Michael Adams, who serves as the state elections board's chairman, said Tuesday in a statement that four locations for a Senate district of nearly 100,000 voters is "insufficient." 

Jefferson County Clerk Bobby Holsclaw said JCPS previously declined to use schools for the May primary, in part, because poll workers would need access to the buildings for three days.

"Truthfully, we've only had one complaint since this all started," Holsclaw said. "I don't believe this is about voters being unhappy. I don't believe that at all. I think we have some political grandstanding going on."

But a spokesperson for the school district said Gov. Andy Beshear, not Holsclaw, reached out about the special election and the district agreed because it was already out of class both the day of the election and the day before.

"JCPS has always been willing to provide schools as polling locations as long as the voting takes place when students are not in school, there is no need for extra security and our gymnasiums, cafeterias and auditoriums are not being used by our students," said Carolyn Callahan, chief communications officer for JCPS. 

Democrat Cassie Chambers Armstrong and Republican Misty Glin are running for the Kentucky Senate vacated by Sen. Morgan McGarvey a Democrat who resigned after winning a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in November. 

A new precinct plan for the Feb. 21 election is expected to be released next week.

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