Counting can begin as ballots arrive

Let the Primary Election counting began.

County clerks across Kentucky have the green light to begin counting absentee ballots which have been returned to their offices by voters.

Mason County Clerk Stephanie Schumacher said ballot counting will begin Thursday, the same day the Board of Elections will inspect voting machines.

“We will begin the process of opening and scanning ballots tomorrow (Thursday),” she said Wednesday.

So far, about 300 ballots have been returned to Schumacher’s office, she said. Nearly 1,300 Mason County ballots are in the process, from application to returned, according to Schumacher.

The State Board of Elections adopted temporary emergency regulations asking voters to make the June 23 Primary Election safe due to COVID-19 by voting absentee ballots, according to information from the board.

All eligible voters who apply for an absentee ballot will qualify to receive one. Once they receive and complete their absentee ballot, they will have the option to return their completed ballot free of charge through the mail, or they may drop their ballot off at a secure county-government location.

Voters across the state either have or will receive a postcard from the State Board of Election explaining the process. Schumacher said Mason County voters have not received those postcards yet but should late this week or early next week.

There are 13,379 registered voters in Mason County. The voter turnout in the May 2016 Primary Election was 18 percent with 2245 voters voting.

While strongly encouraging voters to vote by mail, Schumacher said the county will provide one polling location for walk-in voters on Primary Election day. That will be in the Mason County Fieldhouse. She said more details on voting in person will be available later.

Voters can request an absentee ballot by calling Schumacher at 606-564-3341 or by visiting the online portal at https://vrsws.sos.ky.gov/abrweb/

Ballot requests must be made by June 15 at the portal or by June 16 to the clerk’s office. Once a request is received, the ballot will be mailed to the voter. Turn around should be a week or less, Schumacher said.

Voters can be request a ballot to be picked up at the clerk’s office June 16-23 but those ballots must be picked up in person by each individual voter, Schumacher said.

Ballots must be postmarked by June 23 and received by June 27 to be counted, Schumacher said. While all mailed ballots are sent with postage paid, voters can also deposit ballots in a secured ballot box in Schumacher’s office. Voters should call ahead before hand delivering a ballot, she said.

The Board of Elections, which includes Schumacher, Sheriff Patrick Boss, Kirk Clarke and Elizabeth Andrews, will conduct the ballot count including checking signatures. If a discrepancy is found, the voter will be contacted and will have until June 29 to make a correction.

Races on the ballot in Mason County include on the Democratic side, President, U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative; on the Republican side President, U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative and State Representative; and non partisan, Maysville City Commission.

Schumacher has said she does not expect a final tally to be available on election night because of the mail-in process.

For more information, check the Secretary of State’s web site at www.sos.ky.gov