Young Professionals Q&A with Secretary of State Michael Adams on Absentee Voting

Questions and Answers with Secretary of State Michael Adams — Questions sent from young professionals

Question 1:

Would you be able to move back the November election if there is a second large COVID spike this Fall?

Answer:

• There are two election days in November: federal election and state election. I don’t have the authority to move the federal election (congress would have to do that)
• Moving the state election day would have to be done by the state legislature.
• Bottom line—there’s no scenario where the Governor and I, even if we agreed, could move the election date from November 3^rd for state offices. I can’t imagine congress will move election day for federal offices from Nov. 3^rd either because if they did, every state would have multiple election days, creating a harder situation for everyone across the country.

Question 2:

Are you considering changes that will allow Kentuckians more access to absentee voting in the future, beyond the current health crisis?

Answer:

• Both the Governor and I have said we’d assess how things go on June 23^rd.
• I will say that my goal is to have a traditional election in November if it is safe to do so.
• In terms of changing the rules for absentee voting permanently, that’s up to the legislature.
• Remember though, absentee voting is expensive for the state; we had money from the federal government and the Governor’s office this year to do this process that we don’t usually have.

Question 3:

When we vote by mail – will there be a way to double-check our vote was counted?

Answer:

• If you go to com, not only can you apply for an absentee ballot, but you can track your ballot.
• If you use your county clerk’s website, you may not have the ballot tracking feature, but you will if you use the state portal.

Question 4:

What steps are taken to ensure that mail-in ballots are completed by the voter they are intended for and that someone can’t intercept them in the mail, such as by filling out a fraudulent application or requesting the ballot be sent to a different address other than the voter’s registered address?

Answer:

• Number one you have to apply for an absentee ballot, and you can only do that by proving who you are. You prove who you are by giving us personally identifiable information that matches what you put on your voter registration card. If you don’t verify that information, you don’t get a ballot.
• This is why your signature on both the yellow envelope carrying your ballot and the white, outer envelope are so important. We match those signatures with your driver’s license or the signature you have when applying for a ballot.
• Number two, we are tracking all incoming and outgoing ballot envelopes so that we can look for any irregularities like ballots missing, lost or stolen.

Question 5:

If someone requests an absentee ballot and hasn’t received one after 5-7 business days, what should they do?

Answer:

• I’d first say, be patient. It takes our offices some time to process all of the ballot application requests.
• By law, the clerks are required to send you your ballot no more than 7 days after the application is received and as far as I know, our clerks are complying with that.
• I’d give it at least a week to get your ballot in the mail, but if you don’t get it, go to com and check the status of your ballot. If that doesn’t work for you, then call your county clerk.
• Even if you requested an absentee ballot, you can still go vote in person. You can’t vote twice. If we got your absentee ballot back, you can’t vote in person. But if you show up and haven’t cast a vote yet, we will let you vote.

Question 6:

Let’s say you started an absentee ballot application but didn’t finish it. Would you be able to vote in person still?

Answer:

• Again, if you haven’t gotten an absentee ballot, or if you have one and didn’t send it back, you can still vote in person.
• If you have an absentee ballot and didn’t fill it out, bring it with you when you go to vote in person so that we can void that absentee ballot. That makes it easier for you to vote in person. If you don’t have it, you can still vote in person.

Question 7:

Voter rolls question – What safeguards are in place to make sure that living, Kentucky residents are not removed by accident or because of incorrect information?

Answer:

• There are controls in place under federal and state law that keep us from purging people inappropriately.
• For example; I can’t take a person off our rolls because they have moved unless that person give me explicit, written consent to deregister that person—unless I contacted that person in writing and they never wrote back, and two federal elections have passed. Then, I have the right to take that person off the rolls.
• So, I won’t be taking anyone off our rolls for moving who hasn’t given me explicit written consent until, at the earliest, November 2022.
• There is a list of “inactive voters” but as soon as someone on that list votes or updates their voter registration in some way (like changing their address) they immediately come off the inactive voter list.
• Dead voters – I am, however, allowed to take people off the rolls who are dead. We don’t just take off people who are rumored to have died; we verify all deaths with the Beshear administration’s Department of Biostatistics first.
• Felons – We get reports from the Judicial branch of government about who has been convicted of a felony. I don’t need consent from them to take them off the rolls.

Question 8:

A YP wants to know; you included postage on all mail-in ballots because you thought requiring the buying of a 50-cent stamp was a poll tax. Do you think that requiring people to pay for a photo ID is also a poll tax? If so, is there work being done to make photo ids free for Kentuckians?

Answer:

• It absolutely would, that’s why I didn’t do it.
• I wanted a voter ID law that was fair and humane. Part of that was pushing for, and ultimately passing, voter ID legislation that includes appropriations to provide a free ID to any person who seeks one even if they don’t vote. Under the bill that was passed—effective November 2020 and thereafter–even if someone don’t register, they can still apply for a free ID.

Question 8 – Part 2:

Let’s say you started an absentee ballot application but didn’t finish it. Would you be able to vote in person still?

Answer:

• Again, if you haven’t gotten an absentee ballot, or if you have one and didn’t send it back, you can still vote in person.
• If you have an absentee ballot and didn’t fill it out, bring it with you when you go to vote in person so that we can void that absentee ballot. That makes it easier for you to vote in person. If you don’t have it, you can still vote in person.

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