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

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, a Republican, is trying her hardest to balance convenient and accessible voting with a shoestring budget. With the $50,000 the local government allocates annually, she struggles to keep voting machines up-to-date and poll workers paid. So this election, they're trying to stretch that budget further by offering four centers where anyone in the county can vote, regardless of precinct.

"It was a tough decision [with] the County Board of Elections," she said. "There were doubts, and a lot of discussion, but it was kind of something that we had to do just money-wise. Elections are important, but I also think that it's important to spend that money on different projects, whether that's roads or whatever."

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