Here’s how, where to cast your ballot early in Jefferson County

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - With thousands of absentee ballots already issued from the Jefferson County Election Center, registered voters have until 11:59 p.m. Friday if they still need to request one.

Employees from the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office are working 12-hour shifts to process the requests that have already come in. Spokesman Nore Ghibaudy told WAVE 3 that the clerk’s office learned a lot from the primary election in June, where Jefferson County voted by mail in record numbers.

“We had a good dress run, we were hoping that we would not be back doing this, but it is what it is,” he said. “No matter what, we want to encourage all Jefferson County residents to get out and vote to speak their minds about who’s going to be in their neighborhoods running it and who is going to be running the country. That way they have had a voice in that and that’s what we’re laying out here for folks to do in Jefferson County.”

As of Friday morning, about 172,000 ballots were requested with more than 111,000 issued so far.

“We’re working really hard to make sure that all the people that have requested those ballots will get them in the next week,” Ghibaudy said.

Anyone who misses the Friday deadline can still vote in person, and early voting is encouraged. Jefferson County’s election plan, approved Wednesday by Secretary of State Michael Adams, calls for 20 polling locations, including four sites open for early voting starting Tuesday:

• Kentucky Exposition Center, 937 Phillips Lane, Fairgrounds North Wing
• Kentucky Center for African American Heritage, 1701 W. Muhammad Ali Boulevard
• KFC Yum! Center foyer, Main and Second streets
• Louisville Marriott East, 1903 Embassy Square Boulevard, Commonwealth Ballroom

The early voting locations will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Voters from all over Jefferson County will be able to cast ballots at any of the four locations.

“There are 1,520 different ballot styles in Jefferson County that pretty much anybody can come in and we’ll have their ballot waiting for them,” Ghibaudy said.

Ghibaudy explained that each polling place, including early voting sites, will have a secure drop box for absentee ballots if there’s no time to mail it in. Each location will also enforce social distancing, including at voting booths, and follow other COVID-19 protocols.

“No matter what voting site you go to you must have a mask on," he said. “Some of them will take your temperature. There are different requirements depending on the building that we are in.”

Jefferson County voters will see an additional 16 polling locations on Nov. 3. The polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on election day.

• Ballard High School, 6000 Brownsboro Road
• Carter Duvalle Elementary School, 3600 Bohne Avenue
• Crosby Middle School, 303 Gatehouse Lane
• Fairdale High School, 1001 Fairdale Road
• Fern Creek High School, 9115 Fern Creek Road
• Iroquois High School, 4615 Taylor Boulevard
• Jeffersontown High School, 9600 Old Six Mile Lane
• Meyzeek Middle School, 828 S. Jackson Street
• Seneca High School, 3510 Goldsmith Lane
• Shawnee High School, 4001 Herman Street
• Southern High School, 8620 Preston Highway
• St. Matthews Community Center, 310 Ten Pin Lane
• Thomas Jefferson Middle School, 1501 Rangeland Road
• Valley High School, 10200 Dixie Highway
• Waggener High School, 330 S. Hubbards Lane
• Western High School, 2501 Rockford Lane

Absentee voters can watch this video below to learn how to fill out a mail-in ballot:

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