Election 101: watch what you wear on Election Day

Frankfort, KY - By Matt McCutcheon - e-mail | bio

FRANKFORT, KY (WAVE) - The countdown is on to the general election. Kentucky's Secretary of State's office in Frankfort is working to make sure that everything goes smoothly on Tuesday so when you go to cast your vote, the only thing you have to worry about is which candidate to choose.

"We feel pretty good; we haven't had a lot of precinct changes," Secretary of State Trey Grayson said.

The countdown may be on, but the heat isn't on to make sure things go smoothly on election day Tuesday.

That's because the May Primary went fairly smoothly. Election officials are just happy that Mother Nature decided to strike a week before the big day.

"In the election world, we try not to worry about those kind of things," Grayson said. "We try to focus on things we can control, so write-ins we knew were going to be a big thing so we've big focusing on training a lot on write-ins and also publicizing some of the new voting systems that are out there."

The deadline to register as a write-in candidate passed Friday, so it's a good idea to make sure someone you may wish to write-in is eligible.

They've been victorious in the past in some areas, but can put a dent in getting results out on election night, which also depends on that all-important voter turnout.

"I suspect turnout will be higher in Louisville then a typical year because of the Mayor's race.  I think having an open Mayor's race and the campaign that the two candidates have run and the effort they're putting into it so I suspect Louisville will be a little bit higher," Grayson said.

But despite that, and the much-anticipated Senate race, voter turnout is only projected to be 48% across the Commonwealth.

That's down from 64% in 2008, which was the last Presidential race. The year 2002 was the last time we had a Senate race that was not tied to a presidential election.

Turnout then was just under 48%, but officials say they'll be ready for however big or small turnout may be.

An interesting note is that Fayette County and Lexington has actually been identified as the most challenging area to vote in Kentucky. Wait times there are historically high: as long as three hours during the last election.

Officials also strongly recommend you not wear anything campaign-related. While you can't be turned away from voting, you'll be forced out of the precinct immediately after and it can carry legal charges if it gets out of hand. 

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KENTUCKY ELECTION TURNOUT PRECENTAGES

2009          NO ELECTION
2008          64.0%
2007          37.8%
2006          49.5%
2005          NO ELECTION
2004          64.7%
2003          40.2%
2002          47.5%
2001          NO ELECTION
2000          61.3%

For precinct information, click here.

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