Question: Was the primary we just carried out in the midst of a pandemic an example of bi-partisan cooperation and an amazing feat that we should be proud of? Or, did the plan, as necessary as it was, result in voter suppression of some of our voters?
As the meme says, why not both? Here at Forward Kentucky, we received two different op-eds from two different authors, expressing two different views of how the election went. One is by Christina Conover, a teacher and activist in Northern Kentucky. The other is by Gay Adelmann, an activist in Louisville and a member of the “Believe in Booker” coalition.
Rather than combine the two pieces into one, or run them individually, we are putting this introduction on both of them, and publishing them both at once. We encourage you to read both of them. Perhaps, as we come together to work to defeat Mitch McConnell in the fall, no matter who wins the nomination, we can learn from both writers as well.
(An op-ed by Gay Adelmann)
The hashtag #AllEyesOnKentucky has been trending on Twitter, with high-profile celebrities nationwide expressing concern for perceived voter suppression in Kentucky. And while we do appreciate their concern, because voter suppression is very real, that suppression is not new in our state. The laser focus on the changes made to adapt to COVID-19 looks at the wrong things, and misses the real voter suppression issues.
Kentucky has voter suppression. However, the improvements made to this year’s early and absentee voting protocols are not the reason. And while we applaud the state and county for their herculean lift in collaborating on short notice to create timely and accommodating changes, it’s still a far cry from a comprehensive solution worth celebrating. Yes, concerns for the elderly poll workers are valid reasons for having fewer polling locations, and Louisville’s mammoth Expo Center made an ideal setting for social distancing for voters in Kentucky’s largest city, where the county clerk also opened up the polling location for early absentee voting 7 days prior, and allowed COVID-19 as an excuse to vote absentee. While these are all commendable improvements, our observations indicate these changes benefited mostly white, mostly affluent, mostly privileged voters.
Here’s an accounting of some real examples of voter suppression our volunteers witnessed on or before Kentucky’s primary on Tuesday, June 23:
#1 Just plain turned away: A disproportionate number of black voters we spoke to at the polls on Election Day told our volunteers they were turned away without being offered an opportunity to complete a provisional ballot. Poll workers cited wrong party registration in a closed primary. However, several said they had already filled out paperwork to change parties. IOW: This was not the first time they had encountered this “reason.” They should have been offered a provisional ballot.
#2 Disparities in receiving mail-in ballots: Voters, who self-identified as West End residents, told our volunteers they never received their mail-in ballots. This required a last-minute rush to get to the polls to vote in person, despite their efforts to practice self-quarantining due to being in a high-risk category. As for timing, they had made their absentee-ballot request around the same time as East End families who commented on our social media posts they had received their mail-in ballots in just a few days.
#3 Early poll closures: Polls close at 6 PM, a practice left over from those days when saloons couldn’t open before then to prevent candidates from buying votes with whiskey. But a 6 PM deadline makes it hard for those who work to get to the polling location on time, even when the polling location is in their neighborhood — much less, farther away. Having to navigate rush hour traffic to the Fairgrounds, regardless of where you live in the county or if you work in another state, makes it even harder to get there in time.
#4 One polling location in each of the two largest Kentucky cities: In addition to greater difficulty for those who live or work further away from the single polling location, many lack transportation or are unable to get time away from work or prior commitments. Elderly and disabled voters also faced a longer haul from the parking lot to the front of the line to vote. Our volunteers were aware of only two wheelchairs available to assist those in need.
#5 Traffic congestion at the Fairgrounds. The Fairgrounds’ main entrance was under construction on Election Day. Therefore, all traffic was diverted to three smaller gates that inefficiently threaded down to one lane in order to cram into one entrance to the large parking lot at the front of the facility, where we only witnessed one person directing traffic. At 3:30 PM, one of our volunteers was returning from a run when they noted a 30-minute backup in the fairground traffic to get to the polling site. Upon alerting a local social media influencer to try to raise awareness, the reply was, “It’s like that at every State Fair.” Which makes it even worse. Why was there no anticipation that traffic could back up? By 4 PM, our volunteer took to her own social media account to sound the alarm of the backup and headed back to meet with other volunteers who were stationed outside the Fairgrounds. At 5 PM, our volunteer documents the line outside of Gate 2 (closest to Highway 264) was backed up 10 minutes beyond the amount of time it would take to get to the Fairground property.
#6 No official “end of the line.” At 5:58 PM, one of our volunteers is heard asking a poll worker inside the polling facility “Where is the line?” Given no clear response, the volunteer realizes the workers are not going to figure it out and runs outside to continue to usher in the flood of voters who have, in some cases, abandoned their cars to get inside on time. The doors to the Expo Center closed shortly after 6 PM, as a crowd gathered outside. Potential voters were encouraged to remain, and began chanting and pounding on the glass doors. In this era of COVID-19, where drive-through graduations and church services are the new normal, and with traffic backed up for more than an hour by the time 6 PM rolled around, everyone in front of and including the last car in line at 6 PM should have been allowed to vote.
#7 Cumbersome and confusing last-minute changes. Despite the excellent improvements to the established voting process, there were too many opportunities to lose potential voters with each added step. For example, if you requested your mail-in ballot on or before May 26, you were requesting an application for a ballot from the county clerk. Upon receipt of the application, voters were required to complete and return them by a certain deadline in order to receive their actual mail-in ballot. If you requested your ballot after May 26, you needed to request your actual ballot from the secretary of state. Throughout the process, information about when, where, and how to request your mail-in ballot or how to vote absentee prior to primary election day was conflicting. Official websites lagged in publishing updates, including the redirect to the Secretary of State’s office and news of the additional in-person absentee voting days at the Expo Center.
In response to inquiries about why the people in the car line were not counted as “in line,” voting officials contended that the 15 days of early voting made up for it. This dismissive response reflects why there were these many barriers, no matter how well-intentioned and herculean the efforts. While a great number of Kentuckians benefited, the same communities who are not represented in decision-making were the ones harmed.
#8 Outdated technology and communication systems. Poor and long-exploited by outsiders, Kentucky has suffered from decades of political malfeasance; despite having the most powerful U.S. Senator in the nation, we still lack reliable cell and internet services.
Establishment officials on both sides of the aisle will defend the commendable work that was done — and rightly so. At the same time, those who wish to suppress votes and voters will try to justify ending the gains we’ve made this election cycle by citing pitfalls. We can’t let either group dominate the conversation and ignore that so far, improvements appear to have benefited mostly privileged, mostly white, mostly educated voters. The fact remains, our most-impacted Louisville voters still had major problems exercising their constitutional right to vote on June 23.
There are persons who would like to convince outsiders that Kentuckians are going to be okay simply because the “good guys are in charge.” But without the nation’s continued focus on our most-impacted community members, we likely will not be.
Please. Don’t take your eyes away. Keep #AllEyesOnKentucky!
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Now read “The primary was well-run and fair – now let’s pull together to win in the fall” by Christina Conover.