LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Some Jefferson County voters were unable to cast ballots in a Kentucky House race decided by just five votes after a precinct assignment error caused them to receive the wrong ballots, according to Jefferson County Clerk David Yates.
In a letter sent Tuesday to Mayor Craig Greenberg, Yates said he had recently been made aware he inherited "long-standing errors with regard to voter precinct assignments" that needed to be "immediately addressed."
According to the letter, a clerical error made by a former employee in 2021 caused 30 voters living on the 4800 block of Red Dawn Drive to be assigned to the wrong precinct — A-149 instead of O-130.
Yates said eight of those voters participated in the 2026 primary election — five of whom are Democrat — and because of the error, they were unable to participate vote in the Kentucky House District 44 race because they received ballots tied to the wrong precinct.
That race was decided by just five votes.
In the Democratic primary for District 44, Kenya Wade defeated incumbent Beverly Chester-Burton by five votes in a three-way race that also included Jesten Slaw.
After the narrow loss, Chester-Burton requested a recanvass. After reviewing vote totals from election night, the Jefferson County Clerk's Office said the count was accurate.
Yates said in the letter "additional discrepancies" observed on election day prompted a comprehensive internal audit on voter precinct assignments across Jefferson County.
"This review has already revealed significant limitations in the state's VRS," Yates said. "While the system's street tables reflect the correct precinct for the 4800 block of Red Dawn Drive, each individual voter record must still be manually verified to ensure accuracy."
Yates said his office is now expanding the audit to include every voter in every precinct in the county.
"Given that voters had successfully participated in the six elections since redistricting with no reported issues, a full house-by-house review was not initially prioritized when our administration assumed office in October 2025," Yates said. "We now recognize the necessity of this thorough verification."
Matt Mudd, a spokesperson for the Mayor's Office, provided the following statement:
"We’re grateful to Clerk Yates for his transparency in addressing what appears to be a longstanding, unknown error. It’s important to get this right and make sure that every citizen of Louisville gets to participate in the elections they’re entitled to participate in."
Yates is set to address questions "concerning voter precinct assignments" at a media briefing Wednesday at 8:45 a.m.
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