LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- As the 2024 presidential election inches closer, Kentucky's top election official is concerned about how the state will handle a large voter turnout.

"The biggest concern that I have is having enough locations and enough poll workers," Secretary of State Michael Adams said. 

Adams said Kentucky's voter turnout for this year's general election could be near a record-breaking 60%.

"You're looking at, potentially, two million voters," he said. "It's awful hard to squeeze them in and out in one 12-hour span on a Tuesday."

To ensure a smooth election day, Adams said Kentucky needs more poll workers and more voting locations. He's asking the legislature for more resources to recruit volunteers, incentivize locations and expand early voting opportunities.

"Most of our poll workers are senior citizens, and they're aging out," Adams said. "So, the only way we're going to have more access for voters on election day is to have more volunteers."

Adams expects things to run smoothly for the May primary, which is expected to bring between 25-30% of voters out. But the concern is much bigger for November's general election.

"I'm not really losing a lot of sleep over May," he said. "It's November we have to prepare for." 

While preparing for November, other obstacles have come up in the form of dozens of election-related bills filed in the general assembly. Adams remains opposed to most changes, especially those which would eliminate early voting.

"That's not a good idea, I think, in any scenario," he said. "But my goodness, going into a presidential election when our turnout is about 50% higher than it is in a Senate election or a governor election, that would be a huge mistake. Huge mistake."

Adams is hopeful the legislature will step forward with the funding needed to ensure a successful election in November.

"We've got to have more utilization of early voting, but we also have to have more voting locations on election day," he said.

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