LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The deadline to request an absentee ballot is just around the corner, at 11:59 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9.
Workers at the Jefferson County Elections Center were preparing and stuffing ballots throughout the evening Thursday in order to get as many in the mail as quickly as possible.
"As many as we get out the door, it seems like there's as many coming in," said Nore Ghibaudy, spokesperson for the Jefferson Co. Board of Elections. "Continuing every night and throughout the weekend and getting them out as quickly as possible."
With over 100 staffers shuffling through the ballots, at least 4,000 ballots are ready by Friday.
"We have a little over 70,000 ballots with the portal still open until 11:59 p.m. on Friday night," Ghibaudy said.
As of Thursday morning, over 164,000 absentee ballots have been requested and over 100,000 have already been mailed out.
"We're hoping we get them all out by next week because at that point were going to be receiving the ballots back and begin the process of verifying signatures, opening them up, verifying the signatures again, and then actually tabulating them," Ghibaudy said.
Co-Director of the Elections Center Maryellen Allen said the plan is to have all absentee ballots sent out to voters who requested them by Friday of next week. As they come in, signatures are verified twice. Allen said counting and tabulating of the votes officially starts next week.
"They don't sleep alone after tonight as a matter of fact. The Jefferson County Sherriff's department is with them from this point all the way through election night," Ghibaudy said, adding that the ballots are watched over 24/7.
Elections officials urge voters to get them filled out and returned in the mail as quickly as possible. Absentee ballots can also be dropped off in person at the Kentucky Expo Center, KFC Yum Center, Center for African American Heritage, St. Matthews Community Center and the Election Center on West Ormsby.
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