>>> IT’S ELECTION DAY TOMORROW
IN KENTUCKY.
ONE OF THE IMPORTANT CHOICES
VOTERS WILL MAKE IS THE
DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE TO CHALLENGE
MITCH McCONNELL IN THE SENATE
RACE IN KENTUCKY THIS YEAR.
AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN
HISTORY, KENTUCKY IS ALLOWING
ABSENTEE VOTING FOR ANYONE WHO
WANTS AN ABSENTEE BALLOT DUE TO
CONCERNS OVER THE CORONAVIRUS.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO HAVE SOME
EXCUSE FOR THE ABSENTEE BALLOT
ABOUT BEING OUT OF TOWN.
BUT KENTUCKY COULD BE HEADED FOR
AN ELECTION DAY DISASTER BECAUSE
THERE WILL BE FEWER THAN 200
POLLING LOCATIONS IN THE ENTIRE
STATE OF KENTUCKY.
JEFFERSON COUNTY, WHICH INCLUDES
THE CITY OF LOUISVILLE IS HOME
TO HALF OF KENTUCKY’S BLACK
VOTERS DURING A NORMAL ELECTION
YEAR, JEFFERSON COUNTY ALONE HAS
256 POLLING LOCATIONS.
TOMORROW THE LOUISVILLE
EXHIBITION CENTER WITH 350
VOTING BOOTHS WILL BE THE ONLY
POLLING LOCATION FOR JEFFERSON
COUNTY’S MORE THAN 610,000
VOTERS.
JOINING OUR DISCUSSION NOW IS
THE CO-FOUNDER OF BLACK VOTERS
MATTER.
WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING TOMORROW
IN KENTUCKY?
>> YOU KNOW, WE DON’T KNOW WHAT
TO EXPECT.
WE HAVE JUST BEEN SEEING THIS
OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
HERE IS A COUNTY PEOPLE WOULD
KNOW.
THERE IS 600,000 PEOPLE.
THERE IS 600,000 VOTER.
YOU HAVE DONE FROM 3,700 POLLING
SITES DOWN TO 200 POLLING SITES.
WE HAVE HALF THE POLLING SITES.
SO WE’RE VERY, VERY CONCERNED
ABOUT WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN.
EVEN WHEN WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
350 BOOTHS, OR UNDERSTANDING IS
THERE WILL BE 18 LINES AND 25
PEOPLE A LINE.
YOU KNOW, THAT SOUNDS GOOD ON
ONE HAND.
YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING GOES WELL.
BUT WHEN YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT
MASSIVE CROWDS COMING, WE
EXPERIENCED THIS JUST RECENTLY
IN GEORGIA.
IT WAS A DIFFERENT SYSTEM WE
EXPERIENCED THAT.
50% OF THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN
POPULATION, THIS LOOKS LIKE AND
FEELS LIKE VOTER SUPPRESSION
THAT ULTIMATELY IN A TIME THAT
WE’RE TALKING ABOUT A PANDEMIC
IN THE MIDDLE OF A CRISIS WE
WANT TO HAVE PEOPLE SPREAD OUT.
WE DON’T WANT TO HAVE ONE SITE,
JUST THE THINKING ABOUT IT.
THAT’S WHY THERE WAS A
BIPARTISAN COMMITTEE THAT
ACTUALLY TOOK THIS TO COURT TO
TRY TO STOP IT, BUT THE JUDGE
DENIED THE MOTION.
WE’RE VERY, VERY CONCERNED
AROUND WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN
TOMORROW.
ABOUT PEOPLE WHO HAVE TO WORK
AND CAN’T STAND IN LINES A LONG
TIME AND PEOPLE’S POSSIBLE
EXPOSURE TO COVID-19.
>> YEAH.
600,000 VOTERS IS AN ENORMOUS
NUMBER OF VOTERS TO HAVE WITH
BASICALLY ONE POLLING PLACE.
THAT’S LIKE THE ISLAND OF
MANHATTAN HAVING ONE POLLING
PLACE.
THE DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR OF
KENTUCKY SEEMS OKAY WITH THIS.
LET’S LISTEN SO WHAT HE SAID.
>> THERE CAN BE CONCERNS ABOUT
ONE POLLING LOCATION.
I DON’T THINK IT’S BEING DONE
INTENTIONALLY TO SUPPRESS THE
VOTE.
BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY I
THINK WE WILL HAVE MORE PEOPLE
VOTE IN THIS PRIMARY THAN WE
HAVE EVER SEEN.
I THINK WE WILL HAVE OUR LARGEST
TURN-OUT.
SO HE SAYS HE DOESN’T THINK IT’S
BEING DONE TO SUPPRESS THE VOTE.
>> WHETHER IT’S INTENTIONAL OR
UNINTENTIONAL, DO PEOPLE HAVE
FREE AND EQUAL ACCESS TO THE
BALLOT?
WITH
THERE IS NO WAY YOU HAVE GOT A
POPULATION OF OVER 600,000, THAT
YOU HAVE GOING TO HAVE ONE
POLLING SITE.
WE KNOW THERE WILL BE PROBLEMS
TOMORROW.
WE CAN ANTICIPATE JUST ON
RECOGNIZING THE NUMBERS.
SO WHETHER THERE IS AN
INTENTIONALITY AROUND IT OR NOT,
THERE ARE MANY THAT BELIEVE IT
IS INTENTIONAL, RIGHT?
BUT WHETHER IT IS INTENTIONAL OR
NOT OR WHETHER YOU PROVE THAT OR
NOT IS A SECONDARY ISSUE.
THE FIRST ISSUE IS DO WE HAVE AN
EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE WAY TO
MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE NOT
STANDING IN LINES FOR EXTENDED
PERIOD OF TIME DURING THE WORST
HEALTH PANDEMIC THAT WE HAVE
SEEN IN THIS COUNTRY IN THE LAST
HUNDRED YEARS?
IT IS UNCONSCIONABLE WHAT IS
HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.
THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THERE
IS MORE THAN HALF A MILLION
PEOPLE THAT LITERALLY HAVE ONE
POLLING SITE.