Many Kentucky counties are consolidating polling sites, raising concerns about access

[sl8]

https://www.npr.org/2023/11/05/1210195486/kentucky-election-vote-centers-polling-places

Many Kentucky counties are consolidating polling sites, raising concerns about access

November 5, 2023 5:00 AM ET
LPM News

By Justin Hicks

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — With nearly 500 square miles of bucolic rolling hills and cow pastures and only 13,000 people, Lewis County in northeastern Kentucky is one of the most sparsely populated places in the state.

The county is divided up into 14 voting precincts. For decades, each had its own voting location. But for this year's general election, which ends Tuesday, Lewis County will only have four centralized polling sites.

"I know there's gonna be hurt feelings," Lewis County Clerk Leslie Collier said. "I just — it's not done with malice. It's just we don't have any money. What do you do?"

[...]

Collier isn't alone in consolidating polling locations. For this election, 64 of Kentucky's 120 counties have switched from a slew of neighborhood polling locations to using just a few centralized vote centers. Last year, 59 counties were exclusively using vote centers.

[Map at link]

[...]

[Think. Again.]

1. More rightwing election fuckery.

[Lonestarblue]

2. Schools and churches can also be used for voting. It doesn't cost all that much, especially

since they already have voting machines from closed sites. I wish someone would do an analysis of areas closed by Democratic versus Republican votes.