State rejects Jefferson County's plan for February special election

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Kentucky Board of Elections on Tuesday rejected a proposal for February's special state Senate election because Louisville officials did not provide enough polling places.

The plan now must be revised and resubmitted.

The February 21 election, called by Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear in December, will decide who replaces former state Sen. Morgan McGarvey, a Democrat who resigned after winning a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The 19th Senate district takes in a swath of central Jefferson County from Interstate 64 south to the Gene Snyder Freeway, including neighborhoods and small cities along Bardstown Road and areas near Seneca and Cherokee parks.

The Jefferson County Board of Elections offered four polling places for the election, but that plan wasn't accepted, according to Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams' office. Adams serves as the state elections board's chairman.

Adams said in a statement that four locations for a Senate district of nearly 100,000 voters is "insufficient."

He said state elections officials are working with Jefferson County Clerk Bobbie Holsclaw to find additional voting places, including buildings owned by Jefferson County Public Schools.

"This situation highlights the need for the General Assembly to take action on my request for legislation to ensure our polls are open," Adams, a Republican, said of the GOP-dominated legislature.

During Tuesday's state elections board meeting, members did not put forth a motion to approve the plan submitted by the Jefferson County -- an indication that the state board members did not support it.

Erran Huber, spokesman for the county clerk's office, said in a statement that there was "no complete rejection of our path forward. The meeting closed with an indication that the Board would reach out to the Superintendent and further discuss voting location options. Following that, there was a suggestion there would be an upcoming special meeting to chart the best path forward.

"We maintain, as we always have, that we follow the law and work to ensure every qualified voter can cast their vote. That has not changed and will never change. We appreciate the Board members’ recognition of Clerk Holsclaw’s tireless efforts to enable free, fair, and secure voting in every election and it’s our hope that their faith in our processes, procedures, and best practices will continue," he said.

Speaking by Zoom during Tuesday's meeting, Holsclaw asked where the concerns about the number of voting locations are coming from. She said that her office hasn't received a single complaint.

Elections board member Ben Chandler, a Democrat, said in response that the state Democratic and Republican parties have formally sent letters complaining about the number of precincts.

"It's hard to get the parties to agree on almost anything these days," Chandler said. "And one thing apparently they agree on is that there aren't enough locations in this special election."

The action by the state elections board does not change the date of the election, but a new precinct plan will have to be approved at a special meeting before February 21.

The Senate district had 40 precincts open during last November's general election, according to Adams' office.

Democrat Cassie Chambers Armstrong, who recently resigned from the Louisville Metro Council, and Republican Misty Glin, who was defeated last year in a race for the Jefferson County Board of Education, are vying to replace McGarvey. The 38-member state Senate currently has six Democrats.